Who was Chiune Sugihara?

Chiune-Sempo Sugihara (1900-1986)

Lithuania became a sovereign nation in the aftermath of WWI. In November, 1939 Chiune-Sempo Sugihara was sent to Kovno (Kaunas) to serve as Japan’s Consul. As part of his job, he was to monitor the maneuvers of the German Army, so that Japan would know in advance of the anticipated German attack on the Soviet Union.

Lithuania was annexed by the Soviet Union in the summer of 1940. All foreign diplomats were told to leave by the end of August. Thousands of refugees from Poland were trapped. The only way to avoid capture was to escape east and no one wanted (or could) issue visas. Refugees found out that Curacao (a Dutch Caribbean colony) required no entry visas.

Sugihara agreed to help by issuing transit visas allowing refugees a path out, including through Japan. However after several days the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo however rejected the proposal. Sugihara disobeyed the order and between July and August 1940 he issued between 2,000 to 3,500 visas for individuals and families. In 1946 Sugihara was dismissed from the Japanese Foreign Service. His understanding was that this was a consequence of his insubordination in Lithuania.

In 1984 Yad Vashem recognized Chiune-Sempo Sugihara as Righteous Among the Nations. In 1986 he died as a hero in Japan.

A current map of the Baltic