A Righteous Man in Japan honors Setsuzō Kotsuji's rescue of Jewish refugees

The article recounts how Japanese scholar Setsuzō Kotsuji helped Jewish refugees in Kobe during World War II and later converted to Judaism, and it notes that actor Jundai Yamada has published an English-language book combining Kotsuji's memoir with additional research.

In World War II–era Kobe a young Jewish student was arrested after a rooftop prayer where his tefillin were mistaken for a radio transmitter. Setsuzō Kotsuji, a Japanese scholar who had studied Hebrew and worked with local Jewish communities, intervened at the police station and secured the student's release. The article reports that Kotsuji helped many European Jewish refugees in Japan with visas, travel arrangements and opportunities for Torah study, and that decades later he converted to Judaism and took the name Abraham. Jundai Yamada's book pairs Kotsuji's original memoir with Yamada's commentary to bring the story to a wider, English-speaking audience. Key facts: - A Jewish student in Kobe was detained for wearing tefillin; an elevator operator had mistaken the straps and box for spying equipment. - Setsuzō Kotsuji personally intervened and had the student released. - Kotsuji arranged visa extensions, travel, and study opportunities for many refugees, including students from the Mirrer Yeshiva, and helped arrange passage to Shanghai. - He studied Hebrew, advised on Jewish affairs, published works opposing anti-Jewish propaganda, and survived attempts on his life. - Around age 60 he converted to Judaism and later reunited with the survivors he had aided; Jundai Yamada compiled Kotsuji's memoir and added context in a new English edition. Summary: The piece highlights a largely untold story of rescue and continued bonds between Kotsuji and the Jewish community he helped, and it notes that those memories are now presented in an English-language book. Undetermined at this time.