News Sugihara Museum in Lithuania saved

Miura and Lithuanian ambassador to Japan Gediminas Varvuolis were among the Dec. 15 ceremony attendees in Tokyo. In Lithuania, Japan's ambassador Shiro Yamasaki joined Ramunas Garbaravicius, director of the private "Sugihara 'Diplomats for life' foundation" that runs Sugihara House, and who accepted the donation certificate. "We thank you for extending the hand of help. Everyone in Japan who gave us support, you are true friends," Garbaravicius stated. Sugihara House's collection includes an explanation of the late diplomat's deeds, and usually attracts about 20,000 visitors a year -- about 85% of them Japanese. However, with its doors temporarily closed due to the pandemic, there have been no paying visitors, threatening the museum with permanent closure.That's when Miura, whose job includes organizing tours to Lithuania, set about launching the crowdfunding campaign. The collected monies will all go to running Sugihara House. Donor comments left on the crowdfunding site included, "Mr. Chiune Sugihara is the pride of all Japanese people," "I want to go (to the museum) someday, so please stay open," and "Together, let's keep protecting the bonds between our two countries forged by those who went before us." Some 70% of the donations were apparently from people who had visited Sugihara House before. There was even one donation from a primary school third-grader.

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The ambassadors of Japan and other countries in Lithuania have sent letters to the Baltic nation's culture ministry calling for the protection of the historical heritage. The museum, located in the city of Kaunas, has been suffering from financial hardships as Japanese tourists, who made up more than 80 pct of visitors, decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It was opened to the public in 2000 inside the renovated building of the former Japanese Consulate where Sugihara worked.

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