Chiune and Yukiko Sugihara by bswise Disobeying orders from their government, Japanese diplomat to Lithuania Chiune Sugihara and his wife Yukiko spent 18 - 20 hours a day writing and signing transit visas for over 6,000 Jews from July 31 to August 28, 1940. When the time came for them to depart, Sugihara said, "Please forgive me. I cannot write anymore. I wish you the best." Sugihara and his wife are responsible for saving the lives of thousands of Jews with an estimated 100,000+ descendants. On October 4, 1984, Yad Vashem recognized Chiune Sugihara as Righteous Among the Nations. * * * Chiune Sugihara (杉原 千畝, Sugihara Chiune, 1 January 1900 – 31 July 1986)[1] was a Japanese diplomat who served as vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Kaunas, Lithuania. During the Second World War, Sugihara helped thousands of Jews flee Europe by issuing transit visas to them so that they could travel through Japanese territory, risking his job and the lives of his family.[2][3] The fleeing Jews were refugees from German-occupied Western Poland and Soviet-occupied Eastern Poland, as well as residents of Lithuania. In 1985, the State of Israel honored Sugihara as one of the Righteous Among the Nations for his actions. He is the only Japanese national to have been so honored. The year 2020 was "The Year of Chiune Sugihara" in Lithuania. It has been estimated as many as 100,000 people alive today are the descendants of the recipients of Sugihara visas.[4] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiune_Sugihara https://flic.kr/p/2oPvG91
