Chiune Sugihara

Japanese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews by issuing visas during WWII

Chiune Sugihara (1900–1986), a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania, defied orders to issue transit visas to Jewish refugees in 1940. Known as ‘Japan’s Schindler,’ he collaborated with Dutch diplomat Jan Zwartendijk to help 6,000 Jews flee Nazi-occupied Europe via Japan.

Despite pressure from Tokyo, Sugihara handwrote visas daily, later stating, I acted as a human being. His actions were unrecognized until Israel honored him as Righteous Among the Nations in 1985. Today, the Sugihara Memorial Museum in Yaotsu, Japan, celebrates his humanitarian legacy.