Imperial Japanese Army Major General. As chief of army intelligence in Harbin, Manchukuo/Manchuria, he was responsible for saving the lives of 20,000 Jews who were fleeing the Nazi Holocaust in Germany via the Trans-Siberian Railway. In March 1938, these refugees gathered at the Soviet train station at Otpol on the border of Manchuria. Their initial destination was Shanghai by way of Manchukuo. However, the Japanese Foreign Officer of Manchukuo refused them entry and they were stranded in a blizzard there, with no food supplies. Higuchi intervened. As a military attaché in Europe between 1925 and 1928, he had become familiar with the plight of Jewish people there. Viewing their immediate plight with humanitarian concern, he concluded that the Japanese alliance with Germany did not apply. He asked Yosuke Matsuoka, the president of the Manchurian Railway, to prepare a train for the refugees. Matsuoka agreed and the refugees left for Harbin. After staying in Shanghai for a while, they eventually settled in the United States, Canada and Palestine. While many Japanese are not particularly familiar with his accomplishments, the 20,000 Jews who were saved have never forgotten his courageous decision and his heroic deed has been recorded in the Golden Book of Israel. Although Japan was in a military alliance with Nazi Germany, Higuchi, who later was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, was one of many officers in the Japanese army who were opposed to the Holocaust.
Imperial Japanese Army Major General. As chief of army intelligence in Harbin, Manchukuo/Manchuria, he was responsible for saving the lives of 20,000 Jews who were fleeing the Nazi Holocaust in Germany via the Trans-Siberian Railway. In March 1938, these refugees gathered at the Soviet train station at Otpol on the border of Manchuria. Their initial destination was Shanghai by way of Manchukuo. However, the Japanese Foreign Officer of Manchukuo refused them entry and they were stranded in a blizzard there, with no food supplies. Higuchi intervened. As a military attaché in Europe between 1925 and 1928, he had become familiar with the plight of Jewish people there. Viewing their immediate plight with humanitarian concern, he concluded that the Japanese alliance with Germany did not apply. He asked Yosuke Matsuoka, the president of the Manchurian Railway, to prepare a train for the refugees. Matsuoka agreed and the refugees left for Harbin. After staying in Shanghai for a while, they eventually settled in the United States, Canada and Palestine. While many Japanese are not particularly familiar with his accomplishments, the 20,000 Jews who were saved have never forgotten his courageous decision and his heroic deed has been recorded in the Golden Book of Israel. Although Japan was in a military alliance with Nazi Germany, Higuchi, who later was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, was one of many officers in the Japanese army who were opposed to the Holocaust.
Bio by: Warrick L. Barrett
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See more Higuchi memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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