16. This Diplomat Defied His Government In Order to Continue His Efforts to Save Jewish Refugees
Responding to Tokyo’s cable directing that he stick to the rules when issuing visas, Sugihara acknowledged that had issued visas to people who had not satisfied all the requirements. However, he explained the extenuating circumstances: Japan was the only practical destination country for those headed towards the Americas, and visas from his consulate were needed for departure from the Soviet Union. Then, ignoring the Foreign Ministry’s demands that he stop cutting corners and stick to the rules, Sugihara continued issuing visas to and through Japan on his own.
By the norms of Japanese bureaucracy, and especially those of the Foreign Ministry, Sugihara’s disobedience and outright defiance of his superiors’ instructions were shocking. He was willing to break such taboos in order to save others. As desperate refugees crowded outside his consulate, Sugihara kept on issuing hand written-visas, spending up to 20 hours a day on the task, producing a month’s worth of visas every single day.