Chiune Sugihara issued transit visas from the Japanese Consulate in Kaunas during 1940, enabling thousands of Jewish refugees to escape persecution by traveling through Japanese territory. This act of humanitarian defiance occurred while he served as a diplomat for the Empire of Japan, ultimately leading him to risk his professional career and his family's safety during the Second World War.
Early Education and Military Service
Born in 1900 at Kyosenji-temple, Sugihara was the second of five sons. He enrolled at Waseda University in 1918, where he joined a Christian fraternity to refine his English skills. Following his studies, he served as a second lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army with the 79th Infantry Regiment while stationed in Korea from 1920 to 1922. After resigning his commission, he passed the Foreign Ministry's language examinations with distinction.
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Take the IQ test →Diplomatic Career in Asia
Sugihara's expertise in Russian, German, English, French, and Mandarin supported his work in Harbin, Manchuria. He served in the Manchukuo Foreign Office, where he became proficient in Russian-speaking negotiations regarding the Northern Manchurian Railway. In 1934, he resigned his position as Deputy Foreign Minister in protest against the Japanese treatment of the local Chinese population. He later served in the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and assisted as a translator for the Japanese delegation in Helsinki.
Operations in Kaunas
Assigned to the Japanese Consulate in Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1939, Sugihara monitored Soviet and German troop movements. He adopted the name Sempo to simplify his given name for local pronunciation. Collaborating with Polish intelligence, he functioned within a larger cooperative plan. As Soviet forces occupied Lithuania in 1940, the consulate faced closure, prompting an influx of refugees seeking transit documents to reach destinations in the Western Hemisphere via the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Post-War Recognition
Sugihara died in 1986 in Kamakura, where he remains buried. In 1984, Yad Vashem recognized him as Righteous Among the Nations. He received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 5th Class, in 1944. Subsequent honors included the Life Saving Cross in 1993, the Commander of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland in 1996, and the Commander with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 2007.
Fast facts
- Born: 1900, Kyosenji-temple
- Died: 1986, Kamakura
- Education: Waseda University
- Languages: English, French, German, Russian, Mandarin
- Major Posting: Kaunas
- Righteous Among the Nations: 1984
- Citizenship: Japan
Questions readers ask
What motivated Sugihara to issue the visas?
He served as a diplomat in Kaunas where he recognized the urgent need of refugees attempting to flee the Soviet occupation and the onset of the Holocaust.
How many people were saved by these documents?
While exact counts vary, estimates suggest the number of descendants of those who received these transit visas today ranges between 40,000 and 100,000.
Achievements
- Commander with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta — 2007
- Commander of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland — 1996
- Order of the Sacred Treasure, 5th Class — 1944
- Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
- Worked as diplomat
- Educated at Waseda University
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