By submitting the above I agree to the privacy policy and terms of use of JTA.org Japan is also trying to elevate another World War II figure to hero status YAOTSU, Japan (JTA) — Three years before the Olympics began in 2021 Tokyo was already developing the national image it would display as the world looked on The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education issued a handout to the city’s public schools in 2018 highlighting “the outstanding achievements of our predecessors” that were meant to “raise [students’] self-awareness and pride as Japanese.” Occupying a majority of the four-page handout was the story of diplomat Chiune Sugihara who wrote thousands of life-saving visas for Jews fleeing Europe in 1940 The pamphlet recreates a dramatized version of Sugihara’s life and actions bolstered by quotes from nameless descendants of the Jewish refugees he saved “Sugihara should be remembered and honored as an amazing hero who sacrificed his profession and family to save strangers from a different ethnicity and culture,” one of the quotes reads a Japanese diplomat to Lithuania from 1939 to 1940 helped thousands of Jewish refugees flee wartime Europe by issuing transit visas that allowed them to travel across the Soviet Union to Japan his name and story can be found all over the country from his supposed hometown in Yaotsu to a museum at the northern Tsuruga port where Jewish refugees landed a growing number of researchers — in addition to his own son — have publicly challenged Sugihara’s superhero status and many details of the version of his story pushed in Japan and around the world Some researchers say that Japan has used him as a symbol of humanitarianism in the face of criticism of Japan’s World War II record And some note that Japan is taking the nationalist narrative one step further by boosting another World War II-era figure whom they believe can achieve a similar level of national fame and hero status — whether or not his story is verifiable A Sugihara visa seen at the Sugihara Chiune Memorial Hall museum in Yaotsu Issuing visas was not part of Sugihara’s job description from 1939 to keep an eye on Soviet military activity in the region But when rumors spread of a Japanese diplomat issuing transit visas Sugihara one day found a crowd of Jews lined up outside of his home hoping they would be lucky enough to get one They were running from the Soviets; no one had yet predicted the havoc that would be unleashed on them by the Germans when they finally invaded one year later Sugihara issued some 2,140 transit visas, some used for entire households. But Meron Medzini, professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Department of Asian Studies, wrote in his 2016 book “Under the Shadow of the Rising Sun: Japan and the Jews during the Holocaust Era” that “Not all of the visas were used and this makes it difficult to substantiate the claim that Sugihara was instrumental in helping [the commonly accepted number of] between 6,000 and 7,000 Jews leave Lithuania.” Sugihara’s act was also only one step in a series of events that led to the refugees’ escape Tokyo required them to have a final destination permit as a condition of their transit through Japan and those were provided by Jan Zwartendijk a Dutch consul in Kaunas at the time who stamped thousands of Jewish passports to visa-free Dutch Curacao Jewish organizations stepped in to pay for the refugees’ transit across the Soviet Union which was miraculously granted by Soviet authorities “The critical person in the whole game was really Zwartendijk,” said Jocubowicz a professor of sociology at the University of Technology Sydney who has spent four decades researching the conditions of his family’s survival There’s no way Sugihara could have cooked up something that didn’t have people moving on from Japan.” After arriving in Japan, Jews left for Australia, Canada, the United States and other countries. Others were later deported to Japanese-controlled Shanghai, where authorities imprisoned them in a ghetto for the remainder of the war A view of the Visas for Life monument in Yaotsu Claims that Sugihara helped several thousand Jews; that his requests for visas were rejected “three times” by his superiors; and that he was dismissed and punished for his actions are all important details that make Sugihara a hero But they are also all claims that researchers have debunked Jocubowicz said his father barely met Sugihara whose visa was just one chapter in a long journey to safety The survival of this group of Jews was “almost pure luck at every point,” he said especially their allowance by the Soviets to cross through Russia his family spent the remainder of the war in the Shanghai ghetto before boarding a ship to Australia “My feeling is that it was an extraordinary wormhole that opened up through these essentially conflicting empires this little hole opened up and people were able to scurry into it,” he said Yaotsu’s claim as Sugihara’s birthplace is also disputed Nobuki said that according to family documents People come from around the world to visit Yaotsu [but] my father was not born there he has never lived there,” Nobuki told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency “They made a story that he was born in Yaotsu in order to get tourists because in that village there is nothing.” receives 20,000 tourists per year both foreign and domestic who works in Yaotsu’s regional development and promotion division She said the Sugihara family once lived in their small town and elderly townspeople still remember them we just tell the story that we think is true,” she said where Jewish refugees lived for months before leaving Japan for other destinations Sugihara had no connection to many of the areas on this route, Nobuki said. He explained that much of the common narrative about Sugihara comes from his mother Yukiko’s memoir “She didn’t know exactly what happened in Kaunas So she put here and there some fiction stories A memorial to Chiune Sugihara was established in 2018 outside of Sugihara’s former high school in Nagoya the memorial space has hosted ambassadors from Lithuania and Israel a much smaller portion of Japanese society knew the Sugihara story In a recent article for the academic journal American Historical Review University of Haifa professor and prominent Japan scholar Rotem Kowner examined how Sugihara became a “Holocaust paragon of virtue.” Sugihara “was not the only consul to issue visas to Jews during this period and not every consul who issued visas turned into a hero.” As Japan rebuilt and rebranded into a peace-loving nation after the war a professor who researches Jewish refugees in Japan “The people didn’t know what a hero was anymore The legacy of Japan’s wartime actions, including its military’s sexual “comfort women” system, continues to hinder its relations with China and South Korea Sugihara was at first given a certificate of recognition for his actions when a panel was presented with new evidence and testimony from survivors it determined that Sugihara had taken a career risk and his Righteous status was granted in 1984 Authorities also saw it as an opportunity to improve Israel’s image in Japan as Japanese public opinion about Israel had sharply deteriorated amid the conflict with Lebanon at the time A former head of Yad Vashem’s Righteous Among the Nations department recently disputed the claim that political considerations were involved in Sugihara’s nomination Abe saw an opportunity to not only boost diplomatic relations with Israel and Lithuania but to make Sugihara a positive representative of the Japanese people in its darkest historical period But the process had already started before Abe’s tenure revisionist writers began adding Sugihara’s name into texts that denied the Nanjing Massacre — a Japanese attack on the Chinese city in 1937 that resulted in an estimated 300,000 deaths — “to show that wartime Japan did not resemble Nazi Germany,” Kowner wrote “Sugihara posthumously allowed his country to shed a long-lasting self-justifying policy of victimization and rebrand itself as possessing proactive humanitarian values,” Kowner wrote Japan could cast itself in the role of a ‘good’ country that helped the Jews rather than that of an Axis villain.” Sugihara’s vast fame has also paved the way for a new World War II-era Japanese hero to emerge: Kiichiro Higuchi allegedly defied orders from his superiors to allow between 2,000 and 20,000 stranded Jewish refugees to cross the Russian border into Manchukuo according to media reports and his supporters in Japan This path to safety is now known as the “Higuchi route.” When researchers began looking into the Higuchi story a doctoral candidate at the University of California San Diego has found that Higuchi likely facilitated the entrance of “at least 18 people” into Manchukuo “There’s just no record” of more than that “It just doesn’t add up that you have thousands and thousands of people flooding in and then there’s no record,” he said “Especially when there are records of other Jewish refugee groups and there’s just nothing for this group that supposedly went the ‘Higuchi route.’” The website for the General Higuchi Association, an organization created to encourage the commemoration of Higuchi in Japan and pursue donations from abroad, is saturated with nationalism and false statements. Hideaki Kase — a right-wing politician who advised Shinzo Abe — chaired the association until his death last year “What would have happened if [Anne Frank’s] family knew of the ‘Higuchi Route’?” the website asks “Perhaps the family would not have lived in the attic but instead would have sought passage for Manchuria neither the United States nor Britain accepted Jews; Japan was the only country in the world that opened its doors to Jews.” is to promote the idea that Japan had a policy of racial harmony — in this case Madoka Sugihara says “the way the government changed their attitude” to her grandfather is “a very cynical thing.” (Courtesy of Madoka Sugihara) at times to deflect from international accusations of genocide against Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang Small inconsistent details or a selective use and omission of certain facts can be dangerous Holes in Holocaust stories give antisemites and Holocaust deniers ammunition for their arguments that Jews were not in danger “What happens if something is inaccurate and could be corrected is then the readers have no idea whether anything in the story is accurate,” Jocubowicz says and maybe this is a signal that the whole Jewish story about the Holocaust is rubbish.” a Chabad-Lubavitch movement emissary who has been living in Tokyo since the 1990s He thinks that the Sugihara story — whether it is 100% true or not — has a positive effect on people and endears them to Jews “Kids in Japan grew up not knowing what Japan did in the war And Japan tried to build up a new story,” Sudakevich said “I want the new generation of Japan to know that saving Jews is an important task And if that’s what they know about World War II When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, many in Japan ventured out to Yaotsu, Kobe or Tsuruga to learn more about Sugihara. Invoking his memory, Inaba and his university students have organized a 5 million yen ($37,490) donation drive for Ukrainian refugees dubbed “donations for life.” The Visas for Life organization has raised 1.7 million yen ($12,746) for Ukrainian evacuees now living in Japan Chiune Sugihara’s granddaughter and soon-to-be-director of Sugihara Visas for Life noted the dramatic change in the government’s reception of Sugihara in the past several years “The way the government changed their attitude is a very cynical thing,” but “it is a good thing that they regard Sugihara-san’s act very fairly I’m convinced that it’s a good thing,” she said JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent I accept the Privacy Policy please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent Gifu — Artist Koji Yamami made a kaleidoscope to honor Chiune Sugihara a diplomat who saved many Jewish people by issuing life-saving visas for them during World War II and donated it to the Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall in Yaotsu visited the memorial hall with Hiroaki Wakamura president of Yaotsu-based Wakamura Electric Corp The visit inspired Yamami to create a kaleidoscope showcasing the achievements of Sugihara (1900-86) Yamami has previously created other themed pieces The eyepiece of the kaleidoscope is on top The kaleidoscope is on display at the memorial hall “The fact that Chiune followed his heart and saved all those people really made a huge impact on me,” Yamami said “It made me wonder if I would be able to depict [his achievements] through the piece.” Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun A picturesque hilltop in the rustic countryside of central Japan’s Gifu Prefecture is the last place one might expect to… A picturesque hilltop in the rustic countryside of central Japan’s Gifu Prefecture is the last place one might expect to hear Hebrew But at the Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall overlooking Yaotsu on a recent November morning as both international and local tourists circulated in the exhibit gallery highlighting the legacy of the World War II-era diplomat who — against the orders of his superiors in Tokyo — issued transit visas that saved thousands of European Jews from the clutches of the Nazis around 10,000 Israeli and Jewish tourists visit the Gifu region — located about a two-hour bullet train ride from the Japanese capital — annually there are the charms of off-the-beaten-path Japan rejuvenating hot springs and intoxicating sake breweries it is the reputation of area native Sugihara the only Japanese citizen to be honored by Israel with the “Righteous Among the Nations” title Sugihara joined the Japanese Foreign Ministry as a young man and learned Russian (he also knew Chinese he arrived in the then-capital of Lithuania to serve as a vice consul at the Japanese Consulate-General there a group of Polish Jews who had fled eastward after Germany invaded their home country gathered outside the Japanese diplomatic facility in Kaunas Sugihara noticed the refugees and inquired about their situation He was told they were seeking transit visas to enable them to pass through Japan on the way to other countries that were willing to take them in a rail journey across the Soviet Union followed by a sea crossing to Japan was one of the few potential paths of escape from the expanding Nazi empire for these Jews Sugihara consulted with the Japanese Foreign Ministry which informed him the refugees did not meet the visa requirements Sugihara decided he could not abandon the Jews to their fate “It was a humanitarian issue,” Sugihara said in an interview later in life “I did not care then if I would be fired.” before the consulate-general was shut down amid rising tensions following the Soviet occupation of Lithuania Sugihara spent nearly all his waking hours writing visas by hand around 6,000 Jews — from whom there are an estimated 40,000 descendants alive today — survived the Holocaust thanks to these documents Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy Sugihara served in diplomatic posts in Konigsberg (now Kaliningrad) he and his family were taken prisoner by the Red Army and they only returned to Japan after spending more than a year in a Soviet internment camp Sugihara was forced to resign from the Foreign Ministry The official reason he was given was post-war manpower cuts but he believed the true motive was his actions in Lithuania where his Russian-language skills made him an asset for Japanese trading companies Sugihara was located by an Israeli diplomat based in Tokyo who and Holocaust survivors who owed their lives to him began lobbying for him to be recognized by Yad Vashem when Sugihara was granted the “Righteous Among the Nations” title Sugihara passed away less than two years later Today, the most prominent Sugihara-related sites to visit are the Memorial Hall and next-door Hill of Humanity Park in Yaotsu and the Port of Humanity Museum in Tsuruga where the Jewish refugees were brought by ship across the Sea of Japan from Vladivostok the eastern terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway Daisaku Kunieda — the chief of the Memorial Hall — said Sugihara has become better-known in Japan in recent years and perceptions about him have changed due to societal developments Whereas Sugihara’s disobedience of government instructions might have been controversial in the past The view of Yaotsu from the Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall “Human rights are very important in Japan,” Kunieda said especially with the increasing tensions in the world It gives important lessons that we should disseminate and continue to verbally express to the next generation.” The Gifu Prefecture and JTB travel agency are currently engaged in an intense effort to attract tourists who are interested in Sugihara JTB has opened information centers on the “Sugihara Experience” in its New York City and Los Angeles offices “Our main goal is to further deepen the connection and the understanding between Japanese and Jewish people,” the president of JTB Central Japan Gifu officials were confident that Sugihara’s records would soon be registered by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a “Memory of the World.” But the Sugihara documents were omitted when the latest additions to the list were announced in October Furuta called the UNESCO decision “very unfortunate,” but did not rule out trying again in the future to get the designation “We would like to check and see if we would reapply for the nomination,” he said spent a week in Gifu last month on a trip organized by the prefectural government and JTB For more information on Gifu travel options, visit the prefecture’s official tourism homepage or JTB USA’s website Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Our research and development experience thus far has given us a real awareness of the huge potential for hydrogen as a next-generation energy source and three private firms entered into the "Industry-Government-Academia Partnership for Hydrogen-Based Society." A public experiment using Yaotsu Town as a model locality is now underway with the goal of building new hydrogen-based energy systems and a focus on creating a hydrogen society The basis of this public experiment is the work of Professor Shuichi Nonomura the previous director of the Gifu University Next-Generation Energy Research Center and his call for greater development of renewable energy in the upland areas of Gifu Prefecture I joined Professor Kambara's laboratory as an undergraduate and stayed through my masters program and as of this year I'm working here as an Assistant Professor The reason why I picked Professor Kambara's laboratory is that I was drawn to their conscious thinking about how they can help society and that there are very well-defined practical applications.My research is a continuation from the work I did in the lab during my doctoral course and deals with atmospheric pressure plasma for obtaining hydrogen from ammonia Similar technologies for obtaining hydrogen include pyrolytic catalysts but these require three processes: decomposition the fact that everything from decomposition to separation can be done in one step is a great advantage and provides high-purity hydrogen continuously But despite the fact that ammonia has a simple structure of nitrogen and hydrogen bound together it doesn't work as well as you may think when you try to get efficient decomposition This is a difficult aspect of our research but it also has its interest.Though it still sounds like something far-fetched when I imagine that the basic technologies we've researched and developed will in the future find their way into the world and change society is the greatest pleasure of being involved in this research There are a number of reasons why I chose Professor Kambara's laboratory but one is that when a took a class with Professor Kambara I listened to stories from his time working in the private sector and I was able to see the work in my future which appealed to me for the strong links there were with the private sector And when I was an undergraduate in the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science my personal impression of the different fields like polymer chemistry and organic chemistry was that each was extremely complex and I couldn't quite get a picture of how they could be applied for practical purposes in the future Professor Kambara's research had a clear direction of contributing to a hydrogen energy society which seemed completely appealing to me.Currently I'm involved in experiments to produce hydrogen from ammonia using a plasma membrane reactor and having participated in conferences and other events I understand that they want to give us a desire to become engineers who are part of society Which is all the more motivation for me to have a career that doesn't tarnish the name of the Kambara laboratory and if we're able to link the hydrogen production apparatus with which I'm currently involved to product commercialization and give it widespread adoption Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. 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By EMN 7 (EMN): Kohima Village Students' Union (KVSU) organised a programme to felicitate and award five of its members who were among the toppers in this year's High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC); and Nagaland University (NU) examination on Saturday one HSLC student and one degree student were felicitated at Kohima village council hall on Saturday evening fifth topper of HSSLC (Arts stream) from Northfield School Kohima Samuel Mezhür Sekhose Award was conferred to Menuosatuo Mepfhüo ninth topper of HSSLC (Commerce stream) and subject topper in Finance Market Management from Model Higher Secondary School KVSU meritorious award were handed over to Salhouvi Rutsa topper of B.Sc Geology from Model Christian College during Nagaland University examination 2021 subject topper in Social Science (HSSLC exam) from Don Bosco Higher Secondary School its advisor Keviletuo Yiese congratulated the award recipients for their "extraordinary performance" amid the tough times and called them "true achievers." KVSU informed Eastern Mirror that MLA Khriehu Liezietsu also presented cash awards to all the achievers 155 students from Kohima village have cleared HSLC exams while 129 students got through HSSLC examinations this year.