A diplomat from Gifu Prefecture who displayed linguistic talent from an early age, learning Russian in Harbin before entering the Foreign Ministry. In 1940, while posted at the Japanese consulate in Kaunas, Lithuania, Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution gathered daily outside the consulate begging for visas. Though the Foreign Ministry refused his requests three times, Sugihara decided on humanitarian grounds: "I cannot let these people who have come to me for help die." Together with his wife Yukiko, he hand-wrote approximately 2,139 visas over about a month, saving roughly 6,000 lives. He is said to have continued writing visas until the last moment as his train departed. After the war he left the Foreign Ministry and worked for a trading company in obscurity for many years. In 1985 Israel honored him as one of the "Righteous Among the Nations," and in 2000 the Japanese Foreign Ministry officially restored his honor. His courage continues to be celebrated worldwide. A "Hill of Humanity Park" was established in Yaotsu, Gifu, and his memorial museum receives visitors from around the world.

A humanitarian who risked his career to follow his conscience and save lives. A courageous diplomat who acted on the belief: "I cannot abandon those who have come to me for help."

The only Japanese recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations" by Israel. His "Visas for Life" are a global symbol of humanitarian diplomacy. The Foreign Ministry officially restored his honor in 2000.