Comments on: Holocaust Hero Chiune Sugihara

By: Johnny Cat

Johnny Cat — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:14:10 +0000

“I personally beleive most Japanese were forced into WW2 because of conscription and propaganda”

pwscott, you fail.

By: Amy K.

Amy K. — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:18:01 +0000

Two years ago my husband and I took three trains and two buses from Nagoya Japan to the heart of the country to visit the Chiune Sugihara Museum. IT took all day to get there and back using only public transportation. It was a great visit and very much worth the effort. If you ever want to do something out of the way and educational in central Japan, honoring this man’s memory is a great way to spend a day.

By: Geekazoid

Geekazoid — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:35:10 +0000

Chiune was indeed a very special person. His first wife was actually caucasian (before Yukiko).

How he ended up in Lithuania was in itself an interesting story. He resigned his post in Manchuria as a protest over the cruel treatment of Chinese civilians. He repeatedly asked the Japanese government permission to issue the visas, and was turned down each time. That someone in his position would disobey an order like that was extraordinary for that time period.

There is also Lieutenant General Kiichiro Higuchi, who allowed 20,000 Jews fleeing from Nazi Germany cross the border from the Soviet Union to Manchuko:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiichiro_Higuchi

By: pwscott

pwscott — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:50:14 +0000

People of this integrity should have been recognized a long time ago. I personally beleive most Japanese were forced into WW2 because of conscription and propaganda. It is always sad that a few people can ruin a whole world.

By: Sid Morrison

Sid Morrison — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:05:18 +0000

There’s a very oddly parallel story about a Nazi party member Siemens businessman named John Rabe who was stationed in Nanking, China when the Japanese invaded and committed thousands of atrocities against Chinese civilians. The Japanese massacred hundreds of thousands in the Nanking area, but Rabe’s efforts in establishing a safety zone (as well as personally keeping hundreds of civilians on his own property) is estimated to have saved >200,000 lives.

When he left China, he went back to Germany and lectured on the Japanese atrocities, something that did not endear him to the Gestapo. Nonetheless, he survived the war and is remembered as a hero in China today. There’s a few films on him and he’s also covered in Iris Chang’s best-selling “The Rape of Nanking”

By: Tracy

Tracy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:15:03 +0000

I was so glad to see Sugihara getting some more attention lately, although I'm rather surprised you didn't mention the Academy Award winning short film based on his life, Visas and Virtue.

By: Johnny Cat

Johnny Cat — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:10:22 +0000

Awesome. Sugihara wins my heart for the day!