Sempo Sugihara. as part of the annual observance of Yom HaShoah. the Day of Holocaust Remembrance. As names come forward of the men and women who risked their lives to save Jews from the Nazi Holocaust. one of the most unbelievable stories is that of the late Sempo Sugihara. While Sugihara was Japanese consul in the city of Kovno in Lithuania. he defied his own government by issuing transit visas to Jews in order to aid their effort to escape Nazi persecution. Mr. Sugihara is credited with saving the lives of 6.000 Jews and attempting to help thousands of others.