Sundance Review: Nanking

And Iraq is comparable to Nanking, How?

Oh yes, in some people's eyes, that a few American soldiers humiliated some prisoners is equivalent to the rape and murder of 20,000 women as well as the torture of thousands of others. Now, I see.

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Please don't tell me that someone could be so historically ignorant to think even for a second that the behavior of modern American's toppling Saddam and invading Iraq has any inkling of resemblance to the Rape of Nanking. Japan's invasion of China cost the loves of over 40 million Chinese in total. Nanking was a slaughter, then a rape, then a torching, then more rape... every day for six weeks. And you think that is the behavior of American soldiers? Shame on you. Read some history. K. Kent, author, NANKING, www.nankingthebook.com

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"There is the controversy whether Nanking Atrocities took place between Japan and China. At present, most of Japanese people that are interest in Nanking Incident think "Nanking Incident did not take place at all. Nanking Incident is just only China Communist Party's Propaganda. Because this is reasonable thinking way. Which do you believe, Japan or China? I know well people tend to believe the things that they want to believe.

1)Because all 143 pictures that China offered as evidence of Nanking Incident turned out fake and fabricated. Japanese historian groups proved China has been telling lies to let people believe the existence of Nanking Incident.

2)And yet, no Westerners witnessed Nanking Incident. Tokyo Trial summoned 4 Westerners (John G. Magee, George Ashmore Fitch, Miner Searle Bates, and Robert O. Wilson) who were members of Nanking Safety Zone. This Tokyo Trial proved that there was none of 4 Westerners witnessed murders in Nanking. This record of 4 Westerners' testimonies remains even now both in United States National Archives and Records Administration and Japan National Diet Library. So, film "Nanking" is not documentary film but China's propaganda film.

3)I think Ted Leonsis who produced film"Nanking" is China's Propaganda Agent. Ted Leonsis repeats the same words, "Japan never admit Nanking Holocaust, Japan never apologize to China for Nanking Holocaust." This is his production of film "nanking", right? Ted Leonsis said in addional, "This film is not for Anti-Japan but Anti-war." Do you think so? I don't think so. Because his words is the same as usual China's statement. The objective of film "Nanking" is to arouse Anti-Japan Sentiment among people. So, film "Nanking" is not documentary film but China's propaganda film.

4)I think film "Nanking" is very dangerous film. The Protocols also became a part of the Nazi propaganda effort to justify persecution of the Jews. Hitler said, “Whether this book is true is not important. The existence of this book is very important.” Hitler used the Protocols as a manual in his war to exterminate the Jews. As a result, the largest-ever tragedy occurred. The purpose of Film “Nanking” is to impress upon people in the world for how Japanese are cruel and barbarous. Ted leonsis is the person who scatters “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” to the world. The exclusive nationalism gains power all over the world. I worry about the misfortune that will happen to all Japanese in the future.

TAMAGAWABOAT

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Supplementation:
(4) The Protocols.....This protocols means “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion". This book was fabricated “Fiction” for the purpose of arousing anti-Semitic among Russian people by the secret police of the Russian Empire in 1905. This book made Jew’s plot theory “The Jew is plotting the world domination” known to European society. Though numerous independent investigations have repeatedly proven it to be a plagiarism and a hoax, many European people believed the rumor “The Jew is plotting the world domination”.

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This TAGAMABOAT is the typical right wing Japanese that need another two nuke to eliminate.

He represent the Japanese with short memory of history, the symptom they have is they all behave like O.J. Simpson, they live in self denial.

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Have a look, more hot and scholarly analyze at;

http://www.docsthatinspire.com/?p=48#comment-121

You will find the fact and back ground
why Leonsis made this film.

Keyword is THE GOLD SHIELD PROJET,
a big China business to control social.

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Dear Kevin K

Why don't you coma back to [Docs that inspire] blog,
let's continue talks, we are all waiting for your presence.
I love to see how much you know about histry.

Dear Chris

You are also very welcome to [Docs that inspire] blog,
let's have sensible talk based on record of evidence.
It is meaningless to have talks here based on preconception
and ignorance.

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Nobody can evaluate this film without knowing the relationship
of A.O.L and China government to establish the system
called [GOLD SHIELD PROJECT], to monitor civilians and social
like the novel of [1984] written by George Orwel.

A.O.L is now making a big business in China for this project,
we must see this fact whyTed Lonsis suddenly entered
film making filed.

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THE MAN WHO CONTRIBUTES TO MAKE [1984] REAL.

To evaluate this film, we must consider the business relationship
Between A.O.L and China government..

As I pointed previously, [GOLD SHILED PROJECT] being constructed in China
To control and to monitor citizen and social, is a very big business for all
network communication sector/vender of U.S.A.

A.O.L is a one of the key vender to construct this system, and
Mr.Ted Leonsis is a second big boy in this company.

Under current environment in terms of freedom of speech,
China is a real example of [1984] written by George Orwell.

Mr.Ted Leonsis say [POWER OF GOOD] to emphasize superior western
humanity and morality in his film however, what actually this gentleman
doing is handing with communist party in Red-China (I would not say China)
to construct social and civilian monitoring system.

By doing this, does he really reserve the right to say [POWER OF GOOD]?

Who gave this instigation to make this film?
From where finance came from to make this from?

Poor clown actors are two movie directors who were utilized for Ted’s
Business, manipulated like a puppet, they even could not composite
Precious interviews both negative and positive evenly, what a pity!
Most Probably they could not composite for their survival I presume,
otherwise it is a real shame as a film maker to take interview from one side only.

I dearly would like to American people to aware that there is man who
declares loudly [POWER OF GOOD], meantime running business bringing
people in poor condition far from freedom and human rights.

He does it for what? For money making?
What a terrible thing is going on………

While festival of film show, this gentleman also declared;

[Japan never admit their crime and never apologize their crimes in WW-II…..]

Does he really reserve the rights to say this?
This gentleman does not have any sense to shame on?

Oh God, where is your existence in US……..
God, give your mercy to innocent Japanese souls insulted………
God, please come back to show us the truth………

This gentleman reserves the rights to make money under the capitalism
in The United States of America, the country of freedom however,
he reserves NO rights to insult the honorable souls for his money making.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Some reference information of [GOLD SHIELD PROJECT]

http://rconversation.blogs.com/rconversation/2005/06/more_on_cisco_i.html


http://noquarters.blogspot.com/2005/01/electronic-bamboo-curtain-and-who.html

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Hello Kevin and Chris,

We would welcome you to come back on DocsThatInspire that more important information for the Nanking incodent was added since then.

It seems that Ted's film depicts westerner heros like
John Rabe, Rev. Bates, Dr. Lewis Smyth and another
12 people of 4 nations. I would somewhat agree with
a story that those helped many Chinese refugees,
about 200,000 in the International Safety Zone of
Nanking. And Nanking situations was like Pyonyang of Nnorth Korea that Chiang Kai-shek, a very strong dictator, almost of westerners must have a special connection with the dictator and or his colleagues to do business and etc.

So westners in there should act to cooperate with those top guys of Chinese Nationalist Party, sometime
had to work like agent. This is another aspects of those westerners remained in Nanking.

Looking forward to talk again on Docs, Aki

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Sorry for some rewriting:

.....like Pyonyang of North Korea, Chiang Kai-shek
was very strong dictator of Nationalist Party to
control policts, army and even for businesses.

So almost of westerners must have a close relationship and connections with the Party's top
guys to do businesses, education even for the missionaries,and sometimes they had to act and work
like Party's agent.

This is another aspect of those so-called heros remained in Nanking. They wrote many letters, recods and memorundums that clearly shows there were not systematic and organizational killing and rapes for
Chinese civilians in the safety zone, also their
documnets shows records of population, 200,000 in the
safety zone (there were no lives other than the
safety zone).

Looking forward to talk again on Docs, best wishes,
Aki

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Hello Chris (Miller?),

Your rude comment on TAMAGAWABOAT is very unfair,
is he the right-wing? No he is the typical centrist
here in Japan.

Rather,your commnet for two nuke...is like serious racism that you do need to get rid off as you are
those living in free and democratic country.

Chris, you shall learn more about historical facts
and truth on this modern issues including Nanking
incident.

Kind regards, Aki

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A story of real hero / Dedicate to Mr.Ted Leonsis

—————————————————————————————————————–

Major General Higuchi who saved the lives of 20,000 Jewish

On March 8th, 1938, a critical news was brought to Major General Higuchi who
was the Chief of Special Mission Department of Harbin.
It happened that about twenty thousand Jewish refugees who had fled from Nazis
oppression were stranded in snow in Otopohl of the Soviet Union. They came to Manchuria for
help by Siberia railway’s cargo train, but were refused their entry by it.
They couldn’t go ahead neither go back. Foods had run out and increasing number of
them were dying of cold because of hunger and cold.
They were pushed from Frankfurt to Poland where they were expelled to Soviet Union
because Poland had held about millions of Jewish people.

The Soviet Union had them settle in Siberia, which even themselves abandoned
to colonize because of its cold. As a result, the Jewish people who were mostly
urban habitants could not make it and they arrived Otopol in an attempt to
evacuate to Shanghai by way of Manchuria.

2. I agreed to the Jewish issue.

Doctor Kauffman, the chairman of Harbin Jewish Association rushed to General
Higuchi and explained to him the plight of his fellow countrymen.
However, it was beyond his commission to allow them to enter Manchuria without the
permission of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Manchuria. He thought the Ministry
didn’t make the move for fear of being accused by Kanto region Armed forces if
the evacuation stimulated Hitler. Higuchi was upset about the situation.

The Ministry didn’t respect the pride of Manchuria as an independent country.
The mission statement of the foundation of the country was the harmony of peoples
and the freedom and justice of all nations. “Doctor, I agreed to the Jewish issue!
I will be responsible for this matter by all means. Please start the preparation of
their acceptance.”

Doctor Kauffman, who was moved by the firm statement of
Higuchi cried over joy. Higuchi said, “Doctor, you’d better hurry.
There’s no time to cry!” Immediately he called up Matsuoka, the Manchuria Railway’s Governor
and started negotiation of the special evacuation train.

3. The refugees arrive

It was two days later on March 12th, more than ten executive officers led by
Doctor Kauffman were busy checking hot drinks and clothes, giving directions to
rescue teams. Then the evacuation train roared into the platform.

The windows were full of lean faces with beards and the platform rang with raucous
voices unexpectedly. No sooner had the trains stopped than the rescue teams
went into the trains.
Sick people and those who could not walk because of freezing were carried on stretchers
one after another. A lot of refugees collapsed with tears hugging whoever there were in the platform. Thin children started crying and howling frantically as they found bottles of milk
with their eyes rolled with surprise. “Well done, well done!”
Doctor Kauffman comforted the sick refugees running around the platform with his tears
rolling down his face. Hours later, General Higuchi received the report that all refugees
in Otopol were completely evacuated to Harbin.
Although there were over ten people who froze to death, all the refugees were admitted
into the Chamber of Commerce and schools and provide them with food except sick people
and more than twenty people with frostbite. Doctors said that there would have been
quite a few casualties had the evacuation trains been delayed another day.
About eighty per cent of the refugees traveled Dalian and Shanghai to the U.S. whereas the
rest of four thousand refugees remained there as pioneer farmers and settled in
Harbin inland. Higuchi took care of them fully such as fixing them up with land and housings,
giving directions to his followers.

4. The stubborn appeal from German Foreign Minister

As was expected, a strong appeal was brought from Germany opposed to the
protection of Jewish Refugee by General Higuchi.
The German Foreign Minister Riebentrop sent the following letter of appeal through German Ambassador in Japan Mr. Otto. “A General of your country who is engaged in an important
mission in Manchuria has not only criticized our national policy but also
interfered with the program and ideal of German nation and President Hitler.
The action of the General will infringe upon the common vision of both Germany and
Japan which has just enacted and will influence greatly against our friendly
relationship. We urge a swift action of Japanese government to the General in
question.”

The General was ordered to report to the Kanto Military Headquarters and
made the following comment to the Chief of the Staff Hideki Tojo (later
the Prime Minister). “If the German policy justifies in making the
expelled Jewish refugees stranded nowhere, it must be a horrible
anti-humanism. And it would be a shocking indignity and Manchuria and
Japanese Government would be condemned as the nations which are against
the humanism if they cooperated with the anti-humanistic German policy.

I am in favor of the diplomatic relation and friendship between Japan and
Germany. However, I believe that Japan is not a subject state of Germany,
nor Manchuria is of Japan.” Higuchi looked Tojo straight in the face.

The Chief remained silent as Higuchi asked, “Chief Tojo, do you think it is
fair to bully the weak assisting Hitler?” Tojo said after groping for words
and gazing at the ceiling. “General, I understand what you mean completely.
Your point is right and reasonable. I will communicate with the headquarter
regarding this matter and make it unquestionable.”

5. The departure of General Higuchi

What awaited for Higuchi was far from being unquestionable, but the
promotion to the second section manager of the General Staff Office.

Thispersonnel transfer must have reflected Japan’s creed that equal racial
treatment was the national policy and it would never support Hitler’s
racial discrimination policy.

On the day of his departure, the railway station was crowded with more than two thousand
well-wishers. Amongst them there were families of pioneer farmers from tens of kilometers
away in the inland who came all the way on horse coaches.

They were the Jewish refugees who Higuchi had made efforts in finding lands and dwellings.
When Higuchi stood at the station, a round of cheers surrounded him all at once. They
chanted, “Higuchi, Higuchi” one after another waving Japanese and

Manchurian flags. An elderly white-haired Jewish woman who was guided by
her grandchild kneeled down the road and prayed to Higuchi weeping all the
time. Entering the waiting room, Doctor Kauffman came with the representative
of White Russian Mr. Rosanov. Although both Jews and White-Russians had
been repeating bloody conflicts, they became in good terms with each other by
Higuchi as he founded a club for their friendship.
Mr. Rosanov gave a long kiss to Doctor Kauffman on the cheek and said.

“This is our farewell gift to you. We will be friendlier with each other without
forgetting General’s words.” As Higuchi stood at the last train’s observation deck,
the train “ASIA” started moving slowly sounding its train horn loudly.
“Higuchi!, Higuchi!” The crowd rushed and filled the platform jumping over the
entrance. Innocent looking boys kept running after the train “ASIA” waving their
both hands with their silver hair shaking wildly.

6. Now or never to answer for the kindness in Otopohl

After the war, the Soviet Far-East Force claimed Higuchi as a war criminal,
who was then in Sapporo and requested him to report to them through the
Allied Forces Headquarter.

The Soviet Forces, which had attacked NorthernChishima islands until August 19th
even after the cease-fire was greatlydamaged by General Higuchi who was responsible
for the Northern areaprotection and had a grudge against him having been stopped to
intrudeinto Hokkaido.
Having heard the crisis of Higuchi, the New York Headquarter of the World Jewish
Association started to make a move.

Amongst them werethose who had been rescued by Higuchi in Otopol.
“Now is the time to repay his obligation!” All the Jewish people in the world were
harangued andthe movement to rescue him began. As the World Jewish Association lobbied
the U.S. Ministry of Defense and the Macarthur General Headquarter rejected
the Soviet’s claim and by contraries announced his protection.

The Jewish people who had been persecuted in their long history all the more could not
forget a favor by others easily. The inscription “General Higuchi, Great
Humanitarian” carved on the Golden Book standing on the hill of Jerusalem is
the certificate of his favor.

——————————————————————————————————

End of real stroy in 1938, same year Nanking incident happen.

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Another real hero, who saved solid 6,000 lifes.

————————————————————————————————————-

In the course of human existence, many people are tested.
Only a few soar as eagles and achieve greatness by simple acts of kindness,
thoughtfulness and humanity.

This is the story of a man and his wife who, when confronted with evil,
obeyed the kindness of their hearts and conscience in defiance of the orders of
an indifferent government.

These people were Chiune and Yukiko Sugihara who, at the beginning of World War II,
by an ultimate act of altruism and self-sacrifice, risked their careers,
their livelihood and their future to save the lives of more than 6,000 Jews.
This selfless act resulted in the second largest number of Jews rescued from the Nazis.

The Compassion of Consul-General Sempo Sugihara

In March 1939, Japanese Consul-General Chiune Sugihara was sent to Kaunas to open
a consulate service.
Kaunas was the temporary capital of Lithuania at the time and was strategically
situated between Germany and the Soviet Union.

After Hitler’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, Britain and France declared
war on Germany. Chiune Sugihara had barely settled down in his new post when Nazi
armies invaded Poland and a wave of Jewish refugees streamed into Lithuania.

They brought with them chilling tales of German atrocities against the Jewish population.
They escaped from Poland without possessions or money, and the local Jewish population
did their utmost to help with money, clothing and shelter.

Before the war, the population of Kaunas consisted of 120,000 inhabitants,
one forth of which were Jews. Lithuania, at the time, had been an enclave of peace
and prosperity for Jews.

Most Lithuanian Jews did not fully realize or believe the extent of the Nazi Holocaust that
was being perpetrated against the Jews in Poland. The Jewish refugees tried to explain
that they were being murdered by the tens of thousands.

No one could quite believe them. The Lithuanian Jews continued living normal lives.
Things began to change for the very worst on June 15, 1940, when the Soviets invaded Lithuania.
It was now too late for the Lithuanian Jews to leave for the East.
Ironically, the Soviets would allow Polish Jews to continue to emigrate out of Lithuania
through the Soviet Union if they could obtain certain travel documents.

By 1940, most of Western Europe had been conquered by the Nazis, with Britain standing alone.
The rest of the free world, with very few exceptions, barred the immigration of Jewish refugees from Poland or anywhere in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Against this terrible backdrop, the Japanese Consul Chiune Sugihara suddenly became
the linchpin in a desperate plan for survival.

The fate of thousands of families depended on his humanity.
The Germans were rapidly advancing east. In July 1940, the Soviet authorities instructed
all foreign embassies to leave Kaunas. Almost all left immediately, but Chiune Sugihara
requested and received a 20-day extension.

Jewish refugees at the gate, July 1940. Thousands of Jews lined up
in front of the Japanese Consulate in Kaunas, Lithuania, hoping to receive
transit visas allowing them to escape to the Far East and to America or Palestine

Except for Mr. Jan Zwartendijk, the acting Dutch consul, Chiune Sugihara was now the
only foreign consul left in Lithuanania’s capital city. They had much work to do.

The Dutch Connection

Now into summer, time was running out for the refugees.
Hitler rapidly tightened his net around Eastern Europe. It was then that some of the Polish
refugees came up with a plan that offered one last chance for freedom.

They discovered that two Dutch colonial islands, Curacao and Dutch Guiana, (now known as Suriname) situated in the Caribbean, did not require formal entrance visas.
Furthermore, the honorary Dutch consul, Jan Zwartendijk, told them he had gotten
permission to stamp their passports with entrance permits.

There remained one major obstacle. To get to these islands, the refugees needed
to pass through the Soviet Union.

The Soviet consul, who was sympathetic to the plight of the refugees, agreed to let
them pass on one condition: In addition to the Dutch entrance permit, they would also
have to obtain a transit visa from the Japanese, as they would have to pass through
Japan on their way to the Dutch islands.

Sugihara’s Choice

On a summer morning in late July 1940, Consul Sempo Sugihara and his family awakened
to a crowd of Polish Jewish refugees gathered outside the consulate. Desperate to flee the approaching Nazis, the refugees knew that their only path lay to the east.

If Consul Sugihara would grant them Japanese transit visas, they could obtain Soviet
exit visas and race to possible freedom.

Sempo Sugihara was moved by their plight, but he did not have the authority to issue
hundreds of visas without permission from the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo.

Permission Denied

Chiune Sugihara wired his government three times for permission to issue visas to the Jewish refugees. Three times he was denied. The Japanese Consul in Tokyo wired:

CONCERNING TRANSIT VISAS REQUESTED PREVIOUSLY STOP ADVISE ABSOLUTELY NOT TO BE
ISSUED ANY TRAVELER NOT HOLDING FIRM END VISA WITH GUARANTEED DEPARTURE EX
JAPAN STOP NO EXCEPTIONS STOP NO FURTHER INQUIRIES EXPECTED STOP

(SIGNED) K TANAKA FOREIGN MINISTRY TOKYO

Visas For Life

After repeatedly receiving negative responses from Tokyo, the Consul discussed the
situation with his wife and children. Sugihara had a difficult decision to make.

He was a man who was brought up in the strict and traditional discipline of the Japanese.
He was a career diplomat, who suddenly had to make a very difficult choice.
On one had, he was bound by the traditional obedience he had been taught all his life.
On the other hand, he was a samurai who had been told to help those who were in need.

He knew that if he defied the orders of his superiors, he might be fired and disgraced,
and would probably never work for the Japanese government again.
This would result in extreme financial hardship for his family in the future.

Chiune and his wife Yukiko even feared for their lives and the lives of their children,
but in the end, could only follow their consciences. The visas would be signed.

For 29 days, from July 31 to August 28, 1940, Mr. and Mrs. Sugihara sat for endless hours
writing and signing visas by hand. Hour after hour, day after day, for these three weeks,
they wrote and signed visas.
They wrote over 300 visas a day, which would normally be one month’s worth
of work for the consul.

Yukiko also helped him register these visas. At the end of the day, she would
massage his fatigued hands.
He did not even stop to eat. His wife supplied him with sandwiches.

Sugihara chose not to lose a minute because people were standing in line in front
of his consulate day and night for these visas.

When some began climbing the compound wall, he came out to calm them down
and assure them that he would do is best to help them all.

Hundreds of applicants became thousands as he worked to grant as many visas as
possible before being forced to close the consulate and leave Lithuania.

Consul Sugihara continued issuing documents from his train window until the moment the train departed Kovno for Berlin on September 1, 1940. And as the train pulled out of the station,
Sugihara gave the consul visa stamp to a refugee who was able use it to save even more Jews.

After receiving their visas, the refugees lost no time in getting on trains that took them to Moscow, and then by trans-Siberian railroad to Vladivostok.

From there, most of them continued to Kobe, Japan. They were allowed to stay in Kobe
for several months, and were then sent to Shanghai, China.

Thousands of Polish Jews with Sugihara visas survived in safety under the benign protection
of the Japanese government in Shanghai. As many as six thousand refugees made their way to

Japan, China and other countries in the following months.
They had escaped the Holocaust. Through a strange twist of history, they owed their lives
to a Japanese man and his family. They had become Sugihara Survivors.

Despite his disobedience, his government found Sugihara’s vast skills useful for the remainder
of the war. But in 1945, the Japanese government unceremoniously dismissed Chiune Sugihara
from the diplomatic service. His career as a diplomat was shattered.

He had to start his life over. Once a rising star in the Japanese foreign service, Chiune Sugihara could at first only find work as a part-time translator and interpreter.

For the last two decades of his life, he worked as a manager for an export company
with business in Moscow.
This was his fate because he dared to save thousands of human beings from certain death.

The Miracle of Chanukah 1939

The makings of a hero are many and complex, but Sugihara’s fateful decision to risk
his career may have been influenced by a simple act of kindness from an 11-year-old boy.
He lived with his family in Lithuania, and his name was Zalke Jenkins (Solly Ganor).

Solly Ganor was the son of a menshevik refugee from the Russian revolution in the early 1920s.
After the Russian revolution the family moved to Kaunas, Lithuania.

The family prospered for years before World War II in textile import and export.
Young Solly Ganor, concerned about Polish Jews entering Kaunas, gave most of his allowance
and savings to the Jewish refugee boards.

Having given away all of his money, he went to his aunt Annushka’s gourmet food shop in Kaunas.
He went there to borrow a Lithuania lit (Lithuanian dollar) to see the latest Laurel and Hardy movie. In his aunt’s store he met Japanese Consul Chiune Sugihara.

Consul Sugihara overheard the conversation and gave young Solly two shiny lit. Impulsively,
the young boy invited the Consul with the kind eyes to his family celebration of the first night
of Chanukah 1939.

The surprised and delighted Consul gratefully accepted the young boy’s offer,
and he and his wife Yukiko attended their first Jewish Chanukah celebration.

Mr. Sugihara commented on the closeness of the Jewish families and how it reminded him of his family, and of similar Japanese festivals. Fifty-four years later, Mrs. Sugihara remembers with delight the cakes and cookies and desserts offered to them during this Jewish festival of lights.

Solly Ganor and his father were soon friends with the Consul-General and they conversed in Russian. Later Solly Ganor and his father witnessed Consul Sugihara in his office calling the Russian officials to get permission to issue visas across the Russian borders.

Solly Ganor and his father later received Sugihara visas but were unable to use them because they were Soviet citizens.

Most of the Ganor family were murdered in the Holocaust. Solly’s sister Fanny and Aunt Anushka survived the war. Aunt Anushka returned to Lithuania and died in 1969.

Fanny married Sam Skutelsky from Riga and eventually settled in the United States.
Their son Robert, Solly’s only living nephew, now lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Solly and his father spent over two years in the Kaunas ghetto before being deported to the Landsberg-Kaufering outer camps of Dachau in late 1944. They survived the war and moved to Israel. The older Ganor died peacefully in Tel Aviv in 1966.

Ironically, in May 1945, Solly Ganor was liberated by Japanese American soldiers of the
522nd Field Artillery Battalion, men who had been interned in their own country.

To Solly, the Japanese face has come to symbolize kindness and liberation.

Who Was Chiune Sugihara?

For the last half century people have asked, “Who was Chiune Sugihara?”

They have also asked, “Why did he risk his career, his family fortune, and the lives of his family
to issue visas to Jewish refugees in Lithuania?” These are not easy questions to answer,
and there may be no single set of answers that will satisfy our curiosity or inquiry.

Chiune (Sempo) Sugihara always did things his own way. He was born on January 1, 1900.
He graduated from high school with top marks and his father insisted that he become a medical doctor. But Chiune’s dream was to study literature and live abroad. Sugihara attended Tokyo’s prestigious Waseda University to study English.
He paid for his own education with part-time work as a longshoreman and tutor.

One day he saw an item in the classified ads. The Foreign Ministry was seeking people
who wished to study abroad and might be interested in a diplomatic career.
He passed the difficult entrance exam and was sent to the Japanese language institute in
Harbin, China. He studied Russian and graduated with honors.

He also converted to Greek Orthodox Christianity. The cosmopolitan nature of Harbin,
China opened his eyes to how diverse and interesting the world was.

He then served with the Japanese-controlled government in Manchuria, in northeastern China.
He was later promoted to Vice Minister of the Foreign Affairs Department.
He was soon in line to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Manchuria.

While in Manchuria he negotiated the purchase of the Russian-owned Manchurian railroad
system by the Japanese. This saved the Japanese government millions of dollars,
and infuriated the Russians.

Sugihara was disturbed by his government’s policy and the cruel treatment of the Chinese
by the Japanese government. He resigned his post in protest in 1934.

In 1938 Sugihara was posted to the Japanese diplomatic office in Helsinki, Finland.
With World War II looming on the horizon, the Japanese government sent Sugihara to
Lithuania to open a one-man consulate in 1939.

There he would report on Soviet and German war plans. Six months later, war broke out
and the Soviet Union annexed Lithuania.

The Soviets ordered all consulates to be closed. It was in this context that Sugihara was
confronted with the requests of thousands of Polish Jews fleeing German-occupied Poland.

Sugihara, the Man

Sugihara’s personal history and temperament may contain the key to why he defied his
government’s orders and issued the visas.

Sugihara favored his mother’s personality.
He thought of himself as kind and nurturing and artistic.
He was interested in foreign ideas, religion, philosophy and language.

He wanted to travel the world and see everything there was, and experience the world.
He had a strong sense of the value of all human life.
His language skills show that he was always interested in learning more about other peoples.

Sugihara was a humble and understated man.
He was self-sacrificing, self-effacing and had a very good sense of humor. Yukiko, his wife,
said he found it very difficult to discipline the children when they misbehaved.
He never lost his temper.

Sugihara was also raised in the strict Japanese code of ethics of a turn-of-the-century samurai family.

The cardinal virtues of this society were oya koko (love of the family), kodomo no tamene (for the sake of the children), having gidi and on (duty and responsibility, or obligation to repay a debt), gaman (withholding of emotions on the surface), gambate (internal strength and resourcefulness), and haji no kakete (don’t bring shame on the family).
These virtues were strongly inculcated by Chiune’s middle-class rural samurai family.

It took enormous courage for Sugihara to defy the order of his father to become a doctor,
and instead follow his own academic path.

It took courage to leave Japan and study overseas. It took a very modern liberal Japanese man to marry a Caucasian woman (his first wife; Yukiko was his second wife) and convert to Christianity.

It took even more courage to openly oppose the Japanese military policies of expansion in the 1930s.

Thus Sempo Sugihara was no ordinary Japanese man and may have been no ordinary man.
At the time that he and his wife Yukiko thought of the plight of the Jewish refugees,
he was haunted by the words of an old samurai maxim: “Even a hunter cannot kill a bird
which flies to him for refuge.”

A Final Tribute: Righteous Among the Nations

Today, more than 50 years after those 29 fateful days in July and August of 1940,
there may be more than 40,000 who owe their lives to Chiune and Yukiko Sugihara.

Two generations have come after the original Sugihara survivors, all owing their existence to one modest man and his family. After the war, Mr. Sugihara never mentioned or spoke to anyone about his extraordinary deeds.

It was not until 1969 that Sugihara was found by a man he had helped save, Mr. Yehoshua Nishri. Soon, hundreds of others whom he had saved came forward and testified to the Yad Vashem (Holocaust Memorial) in Israel about his life saving acts of courage.

After gathering testimonies from all over the world, Yad Vashem realized the enormity of this man’s self-sacrifice in saving Jews.

And so it came to pass that in 1985 he received Israel’s highest honor. He was recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” by the Yad Vashem Martyrs Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem.

By then a old man near death, he was too ill to travel to Israel. His wife and son received
the honor on his behalf. Further, a tree was planted in his name at Yad Vashem,
and a park in Jerusalem was named in his honor.

Forty-five years after he signed the visas, Chiune was asked why he did it. He liked to give two reasons:

“They were human beings and they needed help,” he said. “I’m glad I found the strength to
make the decision to give it to them.” Sugihara was a religious man and believed in a universal God of all people.
He was fond of saying, “I may have to disobey my government, but if I don’t I would be
disobeying God.”

Consul Chiune Sugihara, age 86, died on July 31, 1986. Mrs.Yukiko Sugihara had her 88th
birthday on December 17, 2001. She now lives in Fujisawa, Japan.

————————————————————————————

End of real soty in 1940, also dedicate to Mr.Ted Leonsis

Reply

Hello readers,

Ichinohe comments on the above are true that Ted
Leonsis film Nanking has realities in some parts
to rescue poor Chinese refugees, however, heros of
those westners, Rebe, Bates, Smyth, Magee and etc.
were agents of Chiang Kai-shek of Nationalist Party
and they cooperated with Harold Tinperley to make up
the propaganda paper "What War Means" that was prepare before the Nanking Battle of 1937.

This paper was rendered to NYT and Chicago Daily
that reporters were on thier way to Nanking from
Shanghai on Dec. 13 or 14 before the battle in
action.

Thus, Timperley, Rabe and Bates reports were totally
fake and propaganda, please read in good and fair
scolar reports for Nanking and also for Manchuria,
and for Juwish issuews, how we Japanese did good
things against the Westerners race discirinations.

Please read in http://www.sdh-fact.com/, that gives
you Ted'd film hypocrisy as seen by the historical
fact and truth.

Kind regards, Aki

Reply

Hello readers,

Pleasae accept my applogies for some typos in my last
coments,it would be made from Japanese poor education system for the English education, though
your national education for another mother tougues
are more poor in this regards.

Kind regards, Aki

Reply

Nanjing is a good movie, otherwise there won't be many people would like to give a comment on it...(^_^)

I want to say something to Aki who is the "professor" here.

Dear Aki,

Thank you very much for your brilliant writing and convincing.

Your typically polite way to post comments is very fascinating.

Aki must be a really nice person and have plenty of time to post numerous comments here.

Aki must be professional or well educated about this historical facts by some private institutes.

Aki must be very very very old that is why you know the facts better than us here.

I would like to meet you in person and learn more interesting things from you. I am sure that you would like to educate and wash more brains.

Your live speech and real face are more important than the past. Because there are many people like you in present make history disappear.

Well done,Professor Aki.Please show us who you are.
E-mail to Hiro if you are as nice as you showed here.

Kind regards,Hiro

Reply

Dear Hiro,

So many thanks for your cool comments, however,
your counted mesages are not touched and moved to
into minds since your comments are somewhat naive
that is so emotional what is not sure for your point to assert and claiming.

Contrary, I would say that you are so brainwashed by the typical USA party that we are so concerned,
I do want you to learn and study for the historical
facts and truth through your respected historians
as well as to the other world historians apart from
your own sentiments against the facts and truth of
the modern history.

Hiro, I am not professor in this regard for the Nanking issue, I just am saying to see and read in
good books,reports, studies made from both USA and Japan, that is mentioned on the above.

I have been so concerned your young people of USA may be loosing your sharp eyes on the histrical facts, especially for China, please read in many
books written by clever American histrians and diplomats like Helen Mears, Ralf Townsent,
Gru and MacMurrrey that gives you more realities
for China and Japan.

Looking forward for your more positive opinions
in your cool considerations,

Best and kind regards, Aki

Reply

Hello again Hiro,

Please please read in blog: http://www.sdh-fact.com/
that gives you right facts for the modern history
between Japan and China as well as with the USA.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

very best whishes, Aki

Reply

Dear Hiro,

You are Japanese, are't you, or 4th or 5th Japanese
American? I would not like to see you in person since your brain is so washed by the propaganda of
communist and or pacifizm, no way to making good debate.

However, welcome your further comment to changing your washed brain.

Regards, Aki

Reply