On October 12, 2022, Takanobu Fuchikami, The Honorable Mayor of Tsuruga City, Japan, was honored at an event in NYC hosted by Japanese Ambassador and Consul General Mikio Mori.

Photo: (l to r) Steven Cohen, Laura Leon, Karen Leon, Mayor Takanobu Fuchikami, Ambassador Mikio Mori, Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum Director Akinori Nishikawa

Photo: Ryoichi Miura, Publisher, Shukan NY Seikatsu

Ambassador and Consul General Mikio Mori opened the evening's program by welcoming Mayor Takanobu Fuchikami of Tsuruga, Japan. Several guest speakers participated, including Laura Leon and her sister Karen, who were invited to attend and participate in this event by Akinori Nishikawa, Director of The Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum. He was a member of the Tsuruga delegation accompanying Mayor Fuchikami to NY for the occasion.

In addition to Laura and Karen joining the roster of speakers, Laura gave the North American premiere of "Masha's Arigato," a solo piano work by composer Nina Leon in collaboration with her sisters. The work is an expression of gratitude to the heroic WWII Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara and the people of Japan.

Chiune Sugihara was stationed in Kaunus, Lithuania and issued over 2,000 life-saving travel visas to Japan. These visas brought the refugees to safety through the Port City of Tsuruga. "Masha's Arigato" is also a tribute to the daughters' mother, Masha Leon (1931-2017), an internationally renowned columnist who-with her mother Zelda Bernstein-were recipients of Sugihara's life-saving travel visas.

Nikkei News Senior Editorial Writer Tetsuya Saito wrote on 10/25/2022: "A piano melody that evokes the grief of losing one's homeland and the relief of escaping persecution was played at the welcome ceremony for the mayor of Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, at the official residence of the Consul General in New York on October 12. The song is called "Masha no Arigato [Japanese] (Masha's Thanks)," [English], inspired by a Jewish folk song and the shoka song Sakura Sakura."

Nihon Keizai Shimbun wrote on 10/13/2022: "Pianist Laura Leon, daughter of a woman who escaped persecution... through the port of Tsuruga on a "visa for life" issued by diplomat Chiune Sugihara (1900-86) also attended the event. She performed in front of about 70 attendees."

[ADDENDUM: Both the October 12, 2022 North American premiere and the November 3, 2020 World Premiere by Ms. Nobue Douda at The Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum presented the original version of "Masha's Arigato."]