January 1 1900 – 1 Shevat 5660
Japan
Chiune (Sempo) Sugihara, later the Japanese consul in Kovno, Lithuania, was born. Sugihara utilized his diplomatic powers to help Jewish refugees flee Soviet Lithuania in 1940, prior to the Nazi invasion. His ten-day Japanese transit papers allowed Jews with visas to Dutch colonies in South America to leave Russia. Though Sugihara’s government warned him to limit his activities to those with valid papers and funds for their journey, he issued over two thousand visas. In 1984, the State of Israel recognized him as a “righteous gentile.”
In a rare interview, Sugihara explained his actions by saying that one must do the right thing because it’s right, not for any other reason.