On July 15 during his official trip to Japan， Dr. Gustavo F. Lopez， deputy chief of the Presidential Secretariat of Argentina paid a courtesy visit to the Min-On Concert Association in Tokyo to deliver a letter of appreciation to the Min-On founder， Dr. Daisaku Ikeda. The Argentine Republic is known as the homeland of tango music and dancing. Although the exact origins of tango are lost in myth and never known， it has been generally believed that a massive immigration undergone in Argentina during the later part of the 1800s and early 1900s had functioned as a melting pot of cultures， and the intermixing of music and dance styles of Europe， Africa， Central and South Americas， and native-born Argentines resulted in the birth of tango culture around Buenos Aires. Min-On has developed a longlasting relationship with Argentina by inviting the world’s leading tango artists to touring Japan every year since 1970. To date， the number of the tango concerts in Japan has exceeded two thousand times with forty-one installments of the “Min-On Tang Series” and over 3 million audiences across Japan have had splendid opportunities of enjoying genuine tango performances brought from its homeland， Argentina.

Dr. Lopez was heartfully greeted by President Hiroyasu Kobayashi and staff members of the Min-On headquarters， and in response， he remarked: “I am very pleased to have this long-awaited opportunity of visiting the Min-On Culture Center today， and most honored to receive such a heartwarming welcome by everyone. I have respected Dr. Ikeda’s visions and admired his profound contributions for promoting cultural and educational movements aiming peace of the world. At the same time， I want to express my deepest appreciations to him as the Min-On founder for his longstanding support of Argentine tango and the Min-On’s exerted efforts to building the bridge of friendship crossing between the two countries through introducing our proud culture of tango to the Japanese audience.” Touching on a deplorable history of a decline in popularity of tango in Argentina in late 1960s through 1970s， he said that the Min-On-sponsored Japan tours and awards provided for the championship of the tango competition in Buenos Aires have greatly contributed to the revitalization of the tango culture and the preservation of the performing art as the important cultural asset in Argentina. During the meeting， Dr. Lopez， as the deputy chief of the Presidential Secretariat of Argentine Republic， handed President Kobayashi a letter of appreciation to the Min-On founder Dr. Ikeda and officially requested the honor of the Min-On’s involvement in the 2010 governmental celebrations on the Argentina Bicentennial commemorating the 200th anniversary of the May Revolution.