Chiune Sugihara | |
|---|---|
杉原 千畝 | |
 Sugihara, before 1945 | |
| Born | 1 January 1900 |
| Died | 31 July 1986 (aged 86) |
| Resting place | Kamakura Cemetery |
| Other names | "Sempo", Sergei Pavlovich Sugihara |
| Occupation | Vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Lithuania |
| Known for | Rescue of 5,558 Jews during the Holocaust |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 4 |
| Awards |
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Chiune Sugihara (杉原 千畝, Sugihara Chiune, 1 January 1900 – 31 July 1986)[1] was a Japanese diplomat who served as vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Kaunas, Lithuania. During the Second World War, Sugihara helped thousands of Jews flee Europe by issuing transit visas to them so that they could travel through Japanese territory, risking his career and the lives of his family.[2][3] The fleeing Jews were refugees from German-occupied Western Poland and Soviet-occupied Eastern Poland, as well as residents of Lithuania.
In 1985, the State of Israel honored Sugihara as one of the Righteous Among the Nations for his actions. He is the only Japanese national to have been so honored.
In Lithuania, 2020 was "The Year of Chiune Sugihara". Today, the estimated number of descendants of those who received "Sugihara visas" ranges between 40,000[4] and 100,000.[5]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Tenembaumwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Mochizuki, Ken; Lee, Dom (1997). Passage to Freedom : The Sugihara Story (1st ed.). New York: Lee & Low Books. Afterword. ISBN 1880000490. OCLC 35565958.
- ^ Liphshiz, Cnaan (23 May 2019). "Holocaust hero Chiune Sugihara's son sets record straight on his father's story". Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ Brockell, Gillian (27 January 2021). "'A Japanese Schindler': The remarkable diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during WWII". The Washington Post.