【Zuiryo High School】The Sugihara Chiune square

09/05/2025

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What is the Sugihara Chiune square?

The Sempo Sugihara Memorial, located beside the main gate of Aichi Prefectural Zuiryo High School in Nagoya, honors alumnus Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who saved approximately 6,000 Jewish refugees during World War II by issuing transit visas. This outdoor exhibition space, open since October 2018, features life-sized bronze statues of Sugihara and a Jewish family, along with ceramic reproductions of 42 visa lists and 29 bilingual panels detailing his life and humanitarian efforts. The memorial is divided into four zones: “Decision and Hope,” “Visas of Fate,” “Life of Chiune Sugihara,” and “History and Legacy,” providing insights into his courageous actions and the historical context. Visitors can freely explore the site, reflecting on Sugihara’s legacy of compassion and moral courage.

The reason there is a Chiune Sugihara square at Zuiryo High School is because he graduated from this school. Although he was born in Gifu Prefecture, Chiune Sugihara lived in Nagoya since he was a child.

This square was built in 2018. I visited around 10 a.m. on a Saturday, and there were two other people there besides me.

The people in the photo above were actually saved by escaping with Sugihara’s visa.

The explanations are also in English, so visitors from other countries can understand them.

One thing we want visitors from abroad to be careful about is your behavior. Since the square is part of a public high school, please do not make noise or act loudly. As long as you keep that in mind, visiting on a weekday when students are present should not be a problem.