He played a crucial role during the negotiations of the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact which was signed in Moscow on April 13, 1941. The signing of this treaty occurred on two years after the Soviet-Japan War, and was of vital concern for proponents of the Nanshin-ron southern expansion doctrine within the Japanese government and military, as it enabled more troops to be deployed for the Japanese expansion into southeast Asia. On the same day, Tatekawa signed a separate treaty in which the Soviet Union pledged to respect the territorial integrity and inviolability of Manchukuo, and in which Japan pledged the same to respect the Soviet hegemony over the People's Republic of Mongolia. Tatekawa, against orders from the central government, issued visas to many Jews who would likely have been killed during the holocaust. He remained ambassador until March 1942, when he had to return to Japan due to health problems. After his return, he served as an official in the Imperial Rule Assistance Association political party and as head of the Yokusan Sonendan paramilitary youth organization from August 1944. He died on September 9, 1945, and was buried at the Tama Cemetery in Fuchū, Tokyo. In popular media Literature The actions and courage of Yoshitsugu Tatekawa in his reconnaissance patrols during the Russo-Japanese War were immortalized in a very popular children's book titled written by Yamanaka Minetaro (1885-1966) in 1931. It was published in 1936 in the children's magazine Boys' Club (Shonen Kurabu 少年クラブ), published by Kodansha. Film The novel written by Yamanaka Minetaro on Tatekawa's exploits in the Russo-Japanese War was later turned into a movie. In 1941, Akira Kurosawa wrote the script for the movie Tekichi Odan Sambyaku-ri (Advance Patrol). The movie went into production in 1957 and was directed by Kazuo Mori. The story takes place in Manchuria in 1905 where Lieutenant Tatekawa together with five soldiers are sent on a reconnaissance mission behind the Russian lines to gather information about their plans. The six find what they seek, but the most difficult part of their mission is to return safely. Anime is a 13 episode Japanese anime which is set in Shanghai and Manchuria in 1931. Episode 7 specifically talks about the Mukden Incident. The anime was broadcast on TV Tokyo starting from April 5, 2010. It was directed by Matsumoto Jun. The anime was released by Sentai Filmworks on Blu-Ray and DVD in August 2011. Because