Japan Unveiled: Late-Blooming Culture

Sugihara Chiune was a Japanese diplomat who risked his career to save thousands of Jewish refugees during World War II. Fig. Solly Ganor. This is a schematic picture. For the actual image, please visit the following PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) link. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/sugihara/readings/ganor.html In reference [1], Solly Ganor recalls his encounter with Sugihara when he was a 13-year-old boy in Kaunas, Lithuania. The entire story vividly captures Sugihara and his wife, and the moments he describes align with what I’ve learned about Sugihara and his wife. Below, I will cite some of the interesting parts from [1]. During the Hanukkah period of 1939, Solly was at his aunt’s gourmet shop to ask for some money to go see a movie. It was there that his aunt introduced him to Sugihara. In the description below, “he” refers to Sugihara. I have removed several redundant symbols. Solly: “He looked at me and I felt very comfortable with him. There was a certain aura of kindnes

Sugihara Chine was a Japaense diplomat who risked his carrier to save thousands of Jewish refugees in WWII. Fig. Sugihara Chiune This is a schematic picture. The interested reader can click the following site for real image: https://www.timesofisrael.com/japans-schindler-a-genuine-hero-tangled-in-a-web-of-myth/ Hainry Rubinstein, a Jewish American resided in Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, visited Japan ten times in the 20 th century [1]. He was a Rabbi and businessman.  Each time, he accompanied 20-30 Americans for sightseen Japan. Hatta Saburo, a Japanese man, was a tour guide for those Americans to see Japan. He heard intriguing story from Rubinstein: All the Sugihara survivors in America thanked Sugihara. Since Japan was the enemy of America, existence of such individual was unthinkable. We believe Sugihara one of the most appropriate individuals for the ambassador to America. That way, US-Japan relationship would have been restored much sooner. Through the lobbyist at the

Sugihara Chiune was a Japanese diplomat who risked his carrier to save thousands of Jewish refugees in WWII.   Fig. The Sugihara family in Kaunas. This is a schematic picture. The interested reader can visit the following for real image at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1071694 In 1983, when Sugihara was 83 years old, three years before his death, he wrote a memoir how he decided to take his action in 1940. The following is from [1] (translation by the author). “ On the day I received the first instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I thought all night about it. If I told the refugees the instructions as they were, I would have been obedient to the home government and praised. If someone other than me were the person in question, probably everyone would have chosen the path of visa refusal, as in the Tokyo instructions. This is because promotion suspension or dismissal is more terrifying than anything else, accor

Sugihara Chiune was a Japanese diplomat who risked his carrier to save thousands of Jewish refugees in WWII. Fig. Sugihara Chiune This is a schematic picture. The interested reader can click the following site for real image: https://www.timesofisrael.com/japans-schindler-a-genuine-hero-tangled-in-a-web-of-myth/ Disgusted by the Japanese military’s arrogance toward the Chinese population, Sugihara quit the assignment with the Manchuko and returned to Tokyo main office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his own memoir [1] he writes (translation by the author) “ A half year after my return to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I was promoted to a duty at the Moscow embassy. However, no visa was issued for me. This is because my stay in Harbin was too long such that my relations with “White” Russians were too deep. ” During the Railroad deal, he conducted tough negotiations during which he forced Soviet to sell a strategic railroad at 1700 million yen, while the original Sovi