Oskar Schindler’s story is recognized worldwide, largely due to Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award-winning film Schindler’s List (1993), which portrays the German industrialist’s efforts to rescue hundreds of Jewish people from concentration camps during the Holocaust.
In contrast, the story of Chiune Sugihara, often considered Japan’s equivalent to Schindler, is less well-known. While serving at the Japanese Consulate in Lithuania in 1940, Sugihara took great personal risk to save thousands of Jewish refugees by issuing visas that allowed them safe passage through Japan. His remarkable actions remain one of the most extraordinary yet frequently forgotten episodes of World War II.
Chiune Sugihara went against his father’s wishes
Chiune Sugihara was born on January 1, 1900. As a young man, his father moved him from one school to another, hoping he would follow a path in medicine. Sugihara, however, had other ambitions. He purposefully failed his entrance exams and chose to study English instead.
From 1920 to 1922, Sugihara served as a second lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army’s (IJA) 79th Infantry Regiment stationed in Korea. After resigning his commission, he passed the Foreign Ministry’s language exams and was assigned to Harbin, Manchuria. There, he played a role in the North Manchuria Railway negotiations, eventually becoming the deputy foreign minister in Manchukuo.
Sugihara later resigned from this role in protest against Japan’s harsh treatment of the Chinese population.
Vice-consul of the Japanese Consulate in Lithuania
In 1939, Chiune Sugihara was appointed vice-consul at the Japanese Consulate in Lithuania, where his primary duty was to monitor German and Soviet troop movements in the Baltic region. He also maintained cooperation with Polish intelligence.
Sugihara was based in Kaunas, which had a large, prosperous Jewish community of around 32,000 people when the Second World War began. This population grew between 1939-40, as thousands of Jewish refugees fleeing German-occupied Poland arrived, bringing with them stories of the horrors befalling those left behind.
When the Soviet Union annexed Lithuania in June 1940, Kaunas’ Jewish population found themselves trapped, unable to escape as the German forces closed in. Without visas, they couldn’t flee east. Many looked to the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao for safety, but they first needed visas to travel.
Aware of their plight, Sugihara began looking into ways to use his position to help these refugees.
Chiune Sugihara issued thousands of visa to Jewish refugees
Without waiting for orders from Tokyo, Chiune Sugihara took matters into his own hands. He began issuing transit visas that allowed Lithuania’s Jews to travel through Japan while on their way to Curaçao. These documents were key, as the journey to Japan required passage through the Soviet Union, which mandated the proper papers.
After issuing approximately 1,800 visas, Sugihara received instructions from Japanese officials, who ordered him to stop granting permits to anyone without the sufficient funds or an onward destination guarantee. Aware of the consequences this would have for the Jewish refugees, Sugihara chose to ignore these orders. He worked tirelessly, spending 18-20 hours a day hand-writing the life-saving visas.
By the time he left Lithuania in September 1940, Sugihara had issued 2,140 visas. Estimates as to the total number of people he saved range anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000. It’s also believed that, before his departure, he handed his official consulate stamp to a refugee, allowing more visas to be issued even after he was gone.
Chiune Sugihara departs Lithuania
As Chiune Sugihara prepared to leave Lithuania, he reportedly told the crowd that was gathered at the train station, “Please forgive me. I cannot write anymore. I wish you the best.” The crowd responded by assuring him they would never forget his kindness.
Sugihara’s departure came after he was transferred first to Prague and, later, to Romania, where he stayed until the end of the Second World War. When the Red Army moved through the Balkans in 1944, he and his loves ones were arrested and held in a prisoner of war (POW) camp for 18 months.
Upon his return to Japan in 1947, Sugihara was retired from the Foreign Ministry.
Named Righteous Among the Nations
After being forced into retirement, Chiune Sugihara faced financial hardship, supporting his family through low-paying jobs and relying on a modest pension. Despite these challenges, he never regretted helping the Jewish refugees in Lithuania.
In 1984, Sugihara’s bravery was recognized when Yad Vashem honored him as Righteous Among the Nations. Too ill to attend the ceremony, his wife and son accepted the award on his behalf.
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On July 31, 1986, Chiune Sugihara passed away in the hospital. His funeral was attended by a large Jewish delegation, who honored and celebrated his selfless actions during World War II.
Written by Louise Flatley.