Overview

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.

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9781644698693

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Reviews

“[N]early forgotten footnotes in the annals of the Holocaust are resurrected with passion and conviction by Kitade, who has devoted himself to building bridges of mutual understanding between Japan and Jews. In Emerging Heroes, he salutes the Japanese and foreign diplomats who went above and beyond the call of duty to lend a helpful hand to Jewish refugees during their darkest hours of duress.” — Sheldon Kirshner, Times of Israel “Akira Kitade has written a highly entertaining and gripping sequel to his well-received book Visas of Life and the Epic Journey: How the Sugihara Survivors Reached Japan. The first three chapters follow up on the stories of the seven photos discussed in his previous book. The next five chapters focus on the heroic roles played by the Japanese consul Chiune Sugihara and five essential diplomat 'accomplices' in saving over 2000, mostly Polish Jews, who had escaped to Lithuania prior to March 1940. These diplomats included Jan Zwartendijk, Honorary Consul of the Netherlands in Lithuania; Saburo Nei, Acting Japanese Consul General of Japan in Vladivostok; N. A. J. de Voogd, Consul of the Netherlands in Kobe; Yoshitsugu Tatekawa, Ambassador of Japan in the Soviet Union; Tadeusz Romer, Ambassador of the Polish Government-in-Exile in Japan. The last chapter gives an accounting of the 2,140 names on the Sugihara List. Akira Kitade personalizes the stories in each chapter and writes in a relaxed, colloquial style. He exhibits an open-mindedness throughout in relating his stories.” – George Bluman, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Sugihara descendant “Akira Kitade is an unlikely chronicler of courage, hope, and heroism in humanity’s darkest age. Clearing out his modest office as he retired after a lifelong career at Japan’s Tourism Bureau, Akira discovered a dusty 75-year-old scrapbook filled with poems and photos in a neglected drawer. Written by his boss in 1941, it was titled ‘people without nations.’ The scrapbook’s haunting photos of desperate refugees led Akira on a journey of discovery into the lives of terrified Jews fleeing the Nazis and their unknown saviors. His tale, carefully written, with precision and detail, is a gripping story of good interfering in the face of evil, moral choices blunting the teeth of danger, and pure bravery. Reading as fine as dramatic fiction, it will stand for generations as a handbook of ordinary folks whose difficult decisions led them to immortal greatness.” –Rabbi Aaron Kotler, President Emeritus, Beth Medrash Govoha “Huge numbers of refugees took shelter from Poland in Lithuania at the beginning of WWII. Thousands of them were rescued from the Holocaust in the summer of 1940 by Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese consul in Kaunas. However, their destinies have scarcely been known after the war. Akira Kitade traces fourteen survivors by their footprints, who or whose parents received 'Visas for Life' from Sugihara or other Japanese diplomats and opened up a field of activity in the new world. Kitade also clarifies the activity of other rescuers than Sugihara.” – Chiharu Inaba, Professor of International Relations, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan. Author of On the Hill of Yad Vashem: Trees of Righteous among the Nations (in Japanese).

Author Information

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.

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