Jewish Refugees from Poland outside the gates of the Japanese Consular Office, Kaunas, Lithuania, July 1940. (Photo: Setsuko Kikuchi.)

To help the Polish Jews, Chiune Sugihara asked his government three times if he could issue visas. Because of Japan's alliance with Germany, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused each request. Disobeying his government's orders, he handwrote thousands of visas which resulted in saving what is estimated to be more than 6,000 lives.

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