102:, came to Japan. In a letter written in 1939 to a stateless Jewish engineer in Germany, who had lost his job because of his Jewish descent, Rosenberg described Foerster as a man of "extraordinary independence, full of character and without prejudice". But even though the engineer was able to provide a passport without imprinted "J" and an employment contract with Foerster's company, the Japanese denied the entry of the family. But Foerster – as Rosenberg described – "worked desperately" to get a permission for the family to enter Japan. At least, like in other cases, he was successful. Shortly afterwards Rosenberg noted overjoyed, that Foerster was able, "despite extreme difficulties", to convince the Japanese authorities. Several other cases are documented. At the end of 1940, Foerster saved the children of one of his employees in
130:. For this purpose, they used a forged criminal record, which they spread in the German community. After the war, it was also handed over by the Japanese to the Allied Forces in Japan to discredit Foerster. It was based on the criminal record of a namesake of Foerster. This man was imprisoned several times in Germany for theft, dealing with stolen goods, and sexual crimes. He was born in 1890 in Reichenbrand near Chemnitz and not in 1905 in Reichenbach in the Vogtland. His records clearly show that he was imprisoned from 23 July 1937 until 23 June 1938 in the prison of
216:
Meisinger because of his antagonism against
National Socialism and his resistance work, especially the employment of Jewish refugees. The court also stated that Meisinger had fraudulently denounced Foerster as a "spy", knowing that the Japanese would at the very least detain him for a long time. The judges declared that Meisinger had used the Japanese as an "instrument" of persecution. A few months after this decision, Foerster died. He was never rehabilitated publicly.
19:
94:, who organized the committee, received application documents from persecuted Jews in Germany and the German-occupied territories which they forwarded to Foerster. Foerster then provided a free passage to Japan. The family men worked at Foerster's company and their children attended school. In this way, a sizable number of Jewish refugees from Germany,
154:) and forced to sell his factory to a Japanese company. He was imprisoned for more than a year and released on 13 June 1944. Foerster was acquitted on being a "spy" by a Japanese court, but he was sentenced on probation i. a. because of anti-war propaganda and stirring up the public. Some days later he was placed under house arrest.
194:(CIC) revealed that Foerster was a sincere "anti-Nazi", who employed Jewish refugees in his company and was therefore regarded as "persona non grata" by German authorities. It was determined that Foerster was accused of anti-war propaganda, arrested twice as "anti-Nazi", and that he was denounced by the "Butcher of Warsaw",
206:
Despite these results and the fact that
Foerster had been a stateless person since 1936, his property in Japan was expropriated and he was deported to Germany as an alleged Nazi, together with his wife and their daughter. Jewish friends who tried to help him were told that they were "only stateless
901:
Interview with
Margaret A. Bendahan, née Liebeskind, about her escape to Japan and her arrest and torture as an alleged "spy" at the instigation of German authorities. 27 August 1991, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection. Mrs. Bendahan was a close friend of the Stern family, who was
215:
Back in
Germany, it took nearly twenty years for German courts to come to the same conclusions as the CIC did before Foerster's forceful repatriation. After questioning a lot of witnesses, the judges of the higher regional court in Frankfurt am Main decided, that Foerster had been persecuted by
902:
rescued by Willy Rudolf
Foerster. He is mentioned several times in the interview: 01:42:00 - 01:47:00 h (part 1/2), 01:56:00 - 01:57:30 h (part 1/2), 00:12:00 - 00:18:00 (part 2/2). A sworn statement by Margaret Bendahan dated 30 March 1963 is quoted on pp. 94-95 in "Der Fall Foerster".
78:
and the occupied territories in his company. Being anti-Nazi, he organized, together with the "Jewish
Refugee Committee" in Tokyo, the entry of his new employees and their families to Japan. Despite the enormous pressure of the Nazi party and the German missions abroad in
189:
where he owned a house. The Allied forces in Japan carried out extensive investigations. Former German diplomats and others were interrogated. SCAP-files on
Foerster show that interested parties were able to discredit him. Internal investigations of the
172:, during the night of 25 to 26 May 1945, it was largely thanks to him that the inmates left the camp alive. Foerster disarmed the guard and helped the internees out of the burning house. On 15 August 1945, the camp was liberated by American forces.
49:. He founded the F. & K. Engineering Company and the German-Japanese Machine Tool Company, called Nichidoku Kikai Seisakujo, in Tokyo. Foerster was a leading industrialist and one of the richest foreigners in Japan.
168:. Foerster was elected spokesman and supplied the detainees with additional food rations, which he purchased with the help of a German woman, who was married to an Indian citizen. At the time of the great bombing of
207:
foreigners", that
Foerster "lies whenever he opens his mouth" and that he "never was arrested because of political terms". It was also mentioned that it could be dangerous for them to interfere in Foerster's case.
138:
included the forged criminal record into the
Foerster-file, which led, in combination with false statements of interested parties, e. g. former officials, to the destruction of Foerster's credibility.
564:
931:
146:
Because of his strong opposition against
National Socialist policies and anti-Semitism he, his Japanese wife Hideko Foerster, and several employees were arrested on 24 May 1943 by the Japanese
110:. Some months after their arrival in Japan they were deprived of citizenship by the German consulate in Yokohama. But Foerster was able to prevent the deportation of the whole family to the
231:. In a lecture, the author Clemens Jochem presented individual biographies of Jewish employees rescued by Foerster, photos, and essential new documents relating to the Foerster case.
684:
Jochem, Clemens (December 2017). "Menschlich mutig. Der Industrielle Willy Rudolf Foerster in Tokio" [Humanly courageous. The industrialist Willy Rudolf Foerster in Tokyo].
747:
926:
558:
87:, he refused to dismiss his staff members. Publicly he dissociated himself from National Socialist policy and called himself a "stateless person".
768:
135:
705:[Book review: Clemens Jochem: The Case Foerster. The German-Japanese Machine Tool Company in Tokyo and the Jewish Refugees Committee].
667:
629:
61:, Germany in 1905, the son of a textile engineer. Studied mechanical engineering in Zwickau and Berlin and worked for both Krupp and BMW.
831:
857:
648:
703:"Buchvorstellung: Clemens Jochem: Der Fall Foerster. Die deutsch-japanische Maschinenfabrik in Tokio und das jüdische Hilfskomitee"
860:[Book review: The Case Foerster. The German-Japanese Machine Tool Company in Tokyo and the Jewish Refugees Committee].
723:
150:
at the instigation of German authorities, who fraudulently denounced him as a "Soviet spy". Foerster was tortured (also by
813:[A businessman. Tribulation of a German anti-Nazi industrialist in Japan later in Germany between 1931 and 1966].
350:
844:
811:"Un homme d'affaires. Tribulations d'un industriel allemand antinazi au Japon puis en Allemagne entre 1931 et 1966"
191:
134:
in Germany. At this time Foerster was already living in Japan for years as a successful businessman. But later
107:
858:"Rezension: Der Fall Foerster. Die deutsch-japanische Maschinenfabrik in Tokio und das Jüdische Hilfskomitee"
596:
58:
195:
158:
151:
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With the help of the "Jewish Refugee Committee" he employed a sizable number of Jewish refugees from
224:
122:
Because of his resistance work, Foerster was defamed as an alleged criminal by German diplomats in
622:
Der Fall Foerster: Die deutsch-japanische Maschinenfabrik in Tokio und das Jüdische Hilfskomitee
161:. Together with Jews from Germany and Allied citizens (e. g. Catholic nuns) he was interned at
90:
Hans Alexander Straus (Columbia Records) and Karl Rosenberg (Liebermann-Waelchli & Co.) in
869:
818:
797:
794:
Informationen. Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift des Studienkreises Deutscher Widerstand 1933-1945
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710:
689:
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On 17 May 1945, Foerster was arrested again as an "anti-Nazi" element, at the instigation of
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Vortrag: Willy Rudolf Foerster – Aufstieg und Fall des Judenretters von Tokio
882:
750:[Almost forgotten: Reichenbacher saved the lives of Jews in Japan].
724:"Genealogisch-biographische Datenbank für deutsche Kriegsgefangene in Japan"
147:
131:
127:
84:
30:
95:
75:
103:
834:[In memory of the honourable German Willy Rudolf Foerster].
832:"In Erinnerung an den anständigen Deutschen Willy Rudolf Foerster"
169:
162:
123:
91:
80:
38:
17:
748:"Fast vergessen: Reichenbacher rettete Juden in Japan das Leben"
228:
219:
On 28 August 2018, the biography of Willy Rudolf Foerster, the ″
42:
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Japanese Diplomats and Jewish Refugees: A World War II Dilemma
370:
368:
246:
244:
433:
431:
297:
295:
118:
Defamation as an alleged criminal by German diplomats
932:
German people who rescued Jews during the Holocaust
202:Expropriation and forced repatriation to Germany
185:After the war, Foerster and his family lived at
771:[Reichenbach wants to honor Foerster].
340:, pp. 99f. and p. 236, annotation no. 192.
29:(15 July 1905 – 19 February 1966) was a German
836:Tabularasa Zeitung für Gesellschaft und Kultur
845:"The Untold Story of Japan's Oskar Schindler"
8:
731:Mitteilungen Institut für Personengeschichte
223:″ of Tokyo, was publicly presented at the
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862:Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft
830:Warszawski, Nathan (7 November 2018).
567:from the original on 30 September 2018
211:Results of German court investigations
7:
769:"Reichenbach will Foerster würdigen"
722:Weissleder, Dirk (1 December 2017).
181:Results of SCAP / CIC investigations
927:People from Reichenbach im Vogtland
809:Bellanger, Jean-Luc (1 July 2018).
701:Menkhaus, Heinrich (January 2018).
624:. Berlin: Hentrich & Hentrich.
881:Grunberg, Liane (17 August 2019).
792:[An honest man in Japan].
389:, p. 225, annotation no. 127.
14:
856:Bistrovic, Miriam (1 June 2019).
643:. Westport: Praeger. p. 93.
578:"Unsere Woche, Veranstaltungen".
767:Möckel, Gerd (27 January 2018).
746:Möckel, Gerd (23 January 2018).
639:Rotner Sakamoto, Pamela (1998).
843:Grunberg, Liane (30 May 2019).
98:, and other countries, such as
688:(in German) (12/2017): 40–42.
597:Bonner General-Anzeiger – Bonn
1:
733:(in German) (2/2017): 15–17.
709:(in German) (1/2018): 56–58.
660:Life Journey: A Family Memoir
883:"杉原千畝ではない「日本のシンドラー」の知られざる物語"
788:Luley, Björn (1 June 2018).
351:"Gefangenenanstalt Hoheneck"
198:, to Japanese authorities.
948:
817:(in French) (932): 12–14.
662:. Bloomington: iUniverse.
658:Petroff, Serge P. (2008).
582:(34): 13. 23 August 2018.
353:. Sächsisches Staatsarchiv
192:Counter Intelligence Corps
895:Interviews / Oral History
790:"Ein Aufrechter in Japan"
114:at the very last moment.
70:Rescue of Jewish refugees
620:Jochem, Clemens (2017).
59:Reichenbach im Vogtland
796:(in German) (87): 43.
106:from deportation to a
23:
815:Le Patriote Résistant
600:: 25. 27 August 2018.
594:"Tipps und Termine".
27:Willy Rudolf Foerster
22:Willy Rudolf Foerster
21:
580:Jüdische Allgemeine
225:Haus der Geschichte
108:concentration camp
24:
669:978-0-595-51115-0
631:978-3-95565-225-8
536:, pp. 180ff.
524:, pp. 102ff.
464:, pp. 92–95.
328:, pp. 64–67.
253:, pp. 40–42.
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546:Jochem (2017a)
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534:Jochem (2017a)
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522:Jochem (2017a)
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512:, p. 109.
510:Jochem (2017a)
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35:industrialist
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838:(in German).
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777:. Retrieved
773:Freie Presse
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756:. Retrieved
752:Freie Presse
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569:, retrieved
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41:who rescued
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922:1905 births
917:1966 deaths
775:(in German)
754:(in German)
707:OAG Notizen
686:StuDeO-INFO
187:Lake Nojiri
45:during the
911:Categories
779:30 January
758:30 January
357:3 February
235:References
166:Koishikawa
53:Early life
874:0044-2828
823:0223-3150
802:0938-8672
739:2509-2286
715:1343-408X
694:1866-6434
588:1618-9698
571:6 October
221:Schindler
159:Meisinger
148:Kenpeitai
47:Holocaust
678:Journals
565:archived
176:Post-war
132:Hoheneck
128:Yokohama
85:Yokohama
57:Born in
31:engineer
609:Sources
96:Austria
76:Germany
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142:Arrest
104:Vienna
727:(PDF)
614:Books
170:Tokyo
163:Tokyo
124:Tokyo
92:Tokyo
81:Tokyo
39:Japan
870:ISSN
819:ISSN
798:ISSN
781:2018
760:2018
735:ISSN
711:ISSN
690:ISSN
664:ISBN
645:ISBN
626:ISBN
584:ISSN
573:2018
359:2018
229:Bonn
136:SCAP
126:and
83:and
43:Jews
33:and
227:in
65:War
37:in
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866:67
864:.
847:.
729:.
592:;
576:;
563:,
430:^
367:^
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