Emerging Heroes

WWII-Era Diplomats, Jewish Refugees, and Escape to Japan

Akira Kitade (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

156 Seiten

2022
Academic Studies Press (Verlag)
978-1-64469-869-3 (ISBN)

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Seven haunting portraits of WWII refugees motivated Akira Kitade to identify the individuals portrayed. Were they among the thousands rescued by Chiune Sugihara’s life-saving Japanese transit visas? In this account of his investigation, Kitade uncovers more saviors, including the Dutch diplomat Jan Zwartendijk, and provides new insights about Sugihara visas.

Inspired by seven photographs of WWII refugees in an old album, the author embarked on a quest to uncover the story behind each portrait. Had the refugees been rescued by the diplomat Chiune Sugihara, who saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust by providing Japanese transit visas? Searching for the identities of the people in the photographs, the author scoured historical records and interviewed numerous fascinating individuals, including Sugihara visa recipients and their descendants. While solving the mystery of the people in the photographs, the author uncovered more hero diplomats and new details about Sugihara visas. This account of the author’s investigation supports the legacy of Chiune Sugihara and highlights other WWII saviors, such as the Dutch diplomat Jan Zwartendijk.

Akira Kitade received a BA in French Literature from Keio University in 1966. Between 1966 and 2004, he worked for the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and was stationed in Geneva, Dallas, and Seoul. Kitade retired from JNTO in 2004. Since then, he has published several books, including "Visas of Life and the Epic Journey" (2014). He received a 2017 Foreign Minister Commendation for the promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and Jewish society.

Message from the Mayor of Tsuruga City
Takanobu Fuchikami

Foreword
Harriet P. Schleifer

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Encounter with an Album
2. The Sugihara Survivors I Met, and the Follow-Up
3. People in the Album Whose Identities Were Discovered
4. Jan Zwartendijk, Consul of the Netherlands in Kaunas
5. Saburo Nei, Acting Consul General in Vladivostok
6. N. A. J. de Voogd, Consul of the Netherlands in Kobe, Later Ambassador of the Netherlands to Japan
7. Yoshitsugu Tatekawa, Ambassador to the Soviet Union
8. Tadeusz Romer, Polish Ambassador to Japan
9. Tracking Down the 2,139 People on the Sugihara List 

Conclusion
List of Major References

Erscheinungsdatum	10.06.2022
Übersetzer	Kuniko Katz
Zusatzinfo	Illustrations
Verlagsort	Brighton
Sprache	englisch
Maße	155 x 234 mm
Themenwelt	Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► 1918 bis 1945
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie ► Spezielle Soziologien
ISBN-10	1-64469-869-2 / 1644698692
ISBN-13	978-1-64469-869-3 / 9781644698693
Zustand	Neuware