Tatsuo Osako (大迫辰雄 ''Ōsako Tatsuo''; 1917–2003), of

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

was a citizen of the

Japanese Empire The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

during World War II who is most notable for transporting Jews to safety. He worked as a clerk for the tourism bureau in

Tsuruga is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 66,123 in 28,604 households and the population density of 260 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Tsuruga is located in central ...

, a port city in Japan. His role involved aiding refugees, particularly Jewish and other Europeans, who were traveling from Vladivostok, Russia's Pacific port, to Japan before the Pearl Harbor bombing. In his capacity as the ship's escort and clerk, he distributed funds provided by Jewish organizations to assist the refugees. He escorted over 2,000 Jews who came from

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-occupied countries from Vladivostok, Russia to

, Japan. Many of them continued from Japan on to the United States. These refugees had transit visas issued by Chiune Sugihara, who is often referred to as the Japanese

Schindler Schindler is a German surname that is derived from the German word "schindel", which means " shingle". This suggests that the original bearers of the name were in the roofing business. Variations and alternate spellings of the name include: Shindl ...

. Osako's work and a photo album he kept of refugees he helped inspired his co-worker, Akira Kitade, to write a book about Japanese people helping Jews escape from the Nazis titled "Visas of life and the epic journey: how the Sugihara survivors reached Japan". He died in 2003.

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Article about Tatsuo Osako
Japanese people of World War II People from Chiba Prefecture 1917 births 2003 deaths Jewish Japanese history People who rescued Jews during the Holocaust {{World-War-II-stub

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