My presentation used in my senior presentation on a very influential, yet undiscussed figure. Enjoy! :D

1. WWYD?
• Imagine
• August 1940, political prisoners rounded up for concentration camps
• You are a government worker in charge of issuing visas
• A desperate Jew comes to you to escape death
• Do you help this human being or do you obey your government?

2. A LOST MOMENT IN HISTORY
Greg P
Period 3

3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
• Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat, born
January 1, 1900 in Yaotsu Gifu, Japan
• Sugihara served as Vice-Counsul for the Japan
in Lithuania during World War II
• While serving, he aided thousands of Jewish
refugees out of Poland & later Lithuania, both
were controlled by Germany.
Chiune Sugihara, The “Japanese
Schindler””
(http://www.jewishpost.com/shalom/Chiun
e-Sugihara-The-Japanese-Schindler.html)

4. HIS ACTIONS
• The Japanese government required that visas were only to be issued to people that had
gone through the correct immigration procedures and that had sufficient funds another
visa to exit Japan
• From July 29, 1940 – August 28 1940, Sugihara began
to grant visas to Jews to get passage to Japan in violation
of orders from the government
“Visas For Life”
(http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.
org/jsource/Holocaust/sugihara
.html)

5. MOTIVES BEHIND HIS ACTIONS
• Sugihara was always one to follow his own path in life
Ex: His father wanted him to be a medical doctor, yet he chose to study
literature and live abroad
• Sugihara preferred his mother’s personality
He thought of himself as a courteous, caring, artistic person
He had a strong compassion for human life and equality
• Sugihara was also raised in a strict, turn-of-the-century Japanese code that valued loving
family, obligating yourself to repaying debts, and internal strength and resourcefulness
• These factors in turn may have led Sugihara to his decision in assisting the Jews
“Sugihara, the Man”
(http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holoca
ust/sugihara.html)

6. MORE ABOUT THE MAN
• After being forced out of Lithuania, and while on the train, Sugihara continued to issue
last minute visas. He threw them out the window into desperate hands
• After the train started, Sugihara threw the official seal to one of the refugees, so the
refugee could continue to write more visas for others in his situation
• Sugihara had much courage to marry a Caucasian woman during a time when interracial
marriages were looked down upon
“Visas For Life”
(http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsou
rce/Holocaust/sugihara.html)

7. LATER YEARS AS A DIPLOMAT
• Sugihara served as Consul General in Czechoslovakia from March 1941 to 1942 and then
again in both East Prussia & Romania from 1942 to 1944
• While serving as Consul General in Bucharest, Romania, Soviet troops invaded the
country and imprisoned Sugihara and his family in an internment camp for 18 months
• After being released in 1946, he and his family finally returned to Japan.
• In 1947 the Japanese foreign office asked that Sugihara resign due to downsizing,
however, his wife stated that the Foreign Ministry dismissed Sugihara for signing the visas
for the Jews
“CHIUNE (SEMPO) SUGIHARA”
(http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.
php?ModuleId=10005594)

8. LATER LIFE
• Sugihara rarely discussed his actions after the war had ended making his sacrifice and
selflessness go unnoticed for many years
• It wasn’t until 1968, when one of the Sugihara beneficiaries named Jehoshua Nishri,
contacted Sugihara and thanked him for helping free the Jews
• In 1985 Sugihara was awarded the “Righteous Among the Nations” award from the Israeli
government
• In 1985 Sugihara also was asked by Moshe Zupnik why he gave the visas to the Jews,
Sugihara responded with “I do it just because I have pity on the people. They want to get
out so I let them have the visas.”
“Chiune Sugihara, The
“Japanese Schindler””
(http://www.jewishpost.com/shal
om/Chiune-Sugihara-The-
Japanese-Schindler.html)

9. CONNECTION TO MYSELF AND THE WORLD
• Half of my background is Japanese American
• My grandparents both were imprisoned in an internment camp during World War II
• Rarely do I hear about Japanese heroes, especially during World War II when Japan was
considered “the enemy” so knowing about someone as courageous as Sugihara truly
makes me proud of who I am.
• Sugihara risked losing the safety of family and himself as well as jeopardizing his job.
• During this time Hitler began tightening his grip on Eastern Europe so Jews desperately
wanted to escape capture by Hitler and the only way to escape was through the Soviet
Union and Japan to the Carribeans