mack pl
06-28-2004, 04:00 AM
M. N.
Tamagawa University, Tokyo, Japan
Do you know a man who is called "Mr. Senpo" by Jews?
His name is Chiune Sugihara who was the Japanese consul in Lithuania and helped thousands of Jews during the World War . Chiune Sugihara is one of whom I respect the most.
He was born in Gifu prefecture on January 1 in 1900. He was very smart and had a strong will since he was a child. Chiune was expected to become a doctor by his father. But he did not want to be a doctor. On the entrance examination day for a medical school, he did not take the test and just ate his lunch box. He entered Waseda University and dreamed that he would become an English teacher. One day, he found information recruiting students for study abroad as government scholarship students by chance. It was his turning point. He studied desperately and passed the competitive national exam to study abroad. He went to China in order to study Russian. After he returned to Japan, he started working at Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 1939, The World War broke out. In 1940, he was sent to Lithuania as a Japanese consul. In the morning of July 27 in 1940, hundreds of Jews from Poland surrounded the consulate. They wanted him to issue transit visas in order to escape from the danger of Nazis to Curacao Island colonized by Portugal. And Jews needed transit visas in order to pass Japan and Soviet Union. In Europe, the Nazis massacred 6 million Jews. The Jews were prohibited to live as human under many Anti-Jewish regulations. And they were sent to concentration camps and massacred by poison gases. Millions of Jews wanted to escape from the hands of the Nazis, however few got out of the concentration camp. Chiune asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue the transit visas. However, the answer from Japan was "No". At that time, Japan formed an alliance with Germany led by Adorf Hitler. It meant an act of treachery if he helped Jews to escape from the Nazis.
After he thought a few days, he believed that he should help those Jews who did nothing wrong as human being. He determined that he would resign if the Japanese government did not allowed to issue the visas, and he issued the visas against the Japanese government. He knew Jews lives were within his hands. He started writing visas one by one. He continued writing them from morning till night without taking meals. His arm got swollen. A large number of pens were broken. In addition, the pressure from Japanese government cornered him. He received warnings to leave Lithuania from Japanese government, but he ignored them and kept issuing the visas. His conscience could not stop writing visas, even though he received the final order from Japan to leave Lithuania consulate immediately. After all, he saved more than 6 thousands of Jews in a month. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs pressured him to resign, because Chiune disobeyed the government order. Chiune said, "I helped Jews even if they were just a few." He resigned his position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with his pride.
In 1968, a gentle man visited Chiune. He said to him "Do you remember this? " It was the visa that Chiune issued in Kaunas 28 years ago. "Mr. Sugihara, we have never forgotten you." Jews all over the world remembered his courage and action. In 1974, he got an award from the Israel government as "a saver of the establishment of Israel." In 1985, he was also awarded as " a man of justice for nations."
He followed his conscience and chose to save Jews lives rather than his career as a diplomat. If I were Chiune, was the Jews helped? He had courage, but also he knew how to act. I also want to have courage like him. I wish I would have courage to follow my belief and conscience when I need to do so. I am not a diplomat, but I think there is always something that each person at each position can take action for the world peace. I think peace cannot be achieved by the condition of there's no war. But it should be achieved from peaceful home, community, society, country, and the world. We are always confronting a turning point. There are discrimination, violence, and crimes that make our life "peaceless" in our society. The Nazis discriminated Jews and the act of violence and crime escalated legally to the massacre. So it is how we will take action towards those social problems around us. I would like to become a teacher and I would like to teach my students the importance of peace and how peace would be established by our conscience.
...........
Regards
amck pl :D
Tamagawa University, Tokyo, Japan
Do you know a man who is called "Mr. Senpo" by Jews?
His name is Chiune Sugihara who was the Japanese consul in Lithuania and helped thousands of Jews during the World War . Chiune Sugihara is one of whom I respect the most.
He was born in Gifu prefecture on January 1 in 1900. He was very smart and had a strong will since he was a child. Chiune was expected to become a doctor by his father. But he did not want to be a doctor. On the entrance examination day for a medical school, he did not take the test and just ate his lunch box. He entered Waseda University and dreamed that he would become an English teacher. One day, he found information recruiting students for study abroad as government scholarship students by chance. It was his turning point. He studied desperately and passed the competitive national exam to study abroad. He went to China in order to study Russian. After he returned to Japan, he started working at Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 1939, The World War broke out. In 1940, he was sent to Lithuania as a Japanese consul. In the morning of July 27 in 1940, hundreds of Jews from Poland surrounded the consulate. They wanted him to issue transit visas in order to escape from the danger of Nazis to Curacao Island colonized by Portugal. And Jews needed transit visas in order to pass Japan and Soviet Union. In Europe, the Nazis massacred 6 million Jews. The Jews were prohibited to live as human under many Anti-Jewish regulations. And they were sent to concentration camps and massacred by poison gases. Millions of Jews wanted to escape from the hands of the Nazis, however few got out of the concentration camp. Chiune asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue the transit visas. However, the answer from Japan was "No". At that time, Japan formed an alliance with Germany led by Adorf Hitler. It meant an act of treachery if he helped Jews to escape from the Nazis.
After he thought a few days, he believed that he should help those Jews who did nothing wrong as human being. He determined that he would resign if the Japanese government did not allowed to issue the visas, and he issued the visas against the Japanese government. He knew Jews lives were within his hands. He started writing visas one by one. He continued writing them from morning till night without taking meals. His arm got swollen. A large number of pens were broken. In addition, the pressure from Japanese government cornered him. He received warnings to leave Lithuania from Japanese government, but he ignored them and kept issuing the visas. His conscience could not stop writing visas, even though he received the final order from Japan to leave Lithuania consulate immediately. After all, he saved more than 6 thousands of Jews in a month. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs pressured him to resign, because Chiune disobeyed the government order. Chiune said, "I helped Jews even if they were just a few." He resigned his position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with his pride.
In 1968, a gentle man visited Chiune. He said to him "Do you remember this? " It was the visa that Chiune issued in Kaunas 28 years ago. "Mr. Sugihara, we have never forgotten you." Jews all over the world remembered his courage and action. In 1974, he got an award from the Israel government as "a saver of the establishment of Israel." In 1985, he was also awarded as " a man of justice for nations."
He followed his conscience and chose to save Jews lives rather than his career as a diplomat. If I were Chiune, was the Jews helped? He had courage, but also he knew how to act. I also want to have courage like him. I wish I would have courage to follow my belief and conscience when I need to do so. I am not a diplomat, but I think there is always something that each person at each position can take action for the world peace. I think peace cannot be achieved by the condition of there's no war. But it should be achieved from peaceful home, community, society, country, and the world. We are always confronting a turning point. There are discrimination, violence, and crimes that make our life "peaceless" in our society. The Nazis discriminated Jews and the act of violence and crime escalated legally to the massacre. So it is how we will take action towards those social problems around us. I would like to become a teacher and I would like to teach my students the importance of peace and how peace would be established by our conscience.
...........
Regards
amck pl :D