Chiune Sugihara

Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat serving as Vice-Consul in Kaunas, Lithuania, during the early stages of World War II. In the summer of 1940, as thousands of Jewish refugees sought escape routes from Nazi-occupied Europe, Sugihara made the courageous decision to issue Japanese transit visas against direct instructions from his ministry. Working around the clock for weeks, he handwrote over 2,000 visas, allowing refugee families to travel across the Soviet Union to Japan and safety beyond. His heroic actions ultimately saved approximately 6,000 lives, earning him enduring international honor as the "Schindler of Japan."

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