The Resume

(January 1, 1900-July 31, 1986)
Born in Yaotsu, Japan
Vice-consul at the Japanese consulate in Kuanas, Lithuania
In defiance of orders, issued over 5,000 travel visas to Jewish refugees (July-September, 1940)
Named Righteous Among the Nations by the Israeli government (1985)
Subject of an Oscar-winning short film, 'Visas and Virtue' (1997)

Why he might be annoying:

When his father wanted him to become a physician, he deliberately failed the entrance exams.
He divorced his first wife.
There is a dispute whether his dismissal from the foreign service after WWII was normal downsizing or a punishment for disobeying orders in Lithuania.
Despite being hailed in Israel and other nations, he remained virtually unknown in his home country until after his death.

Why he might not be annoying:

He was married to his second wife, Yukiko, for 51 years until his death.
He resigned a post in Manchuria to protest Japanese mistreatment of the Chinese.
Asked why he risked his career to save Jews, he cited a samurai adage, 'Even a hunter cannot kill a bird which flies to him for refuge.'
He issued a normal month's worth of visas each day.
Leaving Lithuania after the consul closed, he continued handing out visas through the train's widow even as the train pulled out.
After Lithuania regained its independence, a street in Kuanas was named for him.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• An Asteroid was Named in My Honor (Ranked: 25893)
• Born on New Year's Day [January 1st] (Ranked: 1900)
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 17]
• Celebrities Born on the Same Date [January] (Ranked: 1011900)
• Google Modified Its Logo For My Birthday (Google Doodles)
• I Died in 1986 (Ranked: 86)
• I Married Outside My Race
• I Outlived My Child
• Nippon TV's Top 100 Historical Persons [Japan - 2006] (Ranked: 49)
• Profiles 24501-24750 (Ranked: 24578)
• Righteous Among the Nations
• We Celebrated Our Golden Anniversary

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 7 Votes: 14.29% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 14.29% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 84.62% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 8 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 21 Votes: 4.76% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 14 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 244 Votes: 48.77% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 35 Votes: 77.14% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 14 Votes: 35.71% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 60 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
In 2009, Out of 22 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2008, Out of 18 Votes: 38.89% Annoying