Google Doodle celebrates Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara who defied official orders by issuing transit visas to refugees so they could escape Nazi territories via Japan.
Sugihara’s actions saved the lives of 6,000 European Jews who would otherwise have perished in the Holocaust during World War 2. His brave decision, which began on July 29, 1939, allowed families to escape Lithuania and reach the Dutch island of Curacao.
Recalling what happened years later, the humble hero said: “There was no other way. I told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs it was a matter of humanity. I did not care if I lost my job.”
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