TEHRAN – A commendation of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei for Japanese-Iranian cultural figure Koniko Yamamura’s memoir “An Immigrant from the Land of the Sun” was unveiled on Wednesday.

Groups of literati and culture officials attended an unveiling ceremony organized at Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting’s International Conference Hall.

“The compelling and dramatic life story of this brave lady has appeared in Hamid Hesam’s fine and influential writing,” the Leader wrote in a commendation dating back to May.

He called the book “very readable and enlightening” and advised that Yamamura’s memoir be turned into a film.  

Written by Hamid Hesam based on extensive interviews with Yamamura, who was known by her Iranian name Saba Babai following her marriage to an Iranian, the book was published by Sureh-Mehr in 2020.

In this book, Yamamura recounts how she chose to live in Iran and her life after her son Mohammad Babai was martyred during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

The book soon became a bestseller and was translated into Arabic, Turkish, Russian, Urdu and Pashtu.

Yamamura died from a respiratory problem in Tehran in July.

Yamamura’s death triggered a flood of messages of condolences from Iranian officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

Raisi praised Yamamura’s contributions to educational centers, charity events and the Tehran Peace Museum, and said, “This immigrant from the land of the sun raised her brave son Mohammad Babai and dedicated his life to Iran, and his memory will live on in the country forever.”

“I never thought my life story would turn into a book, because if I were living in Japan with my parents, I would have had a typical life, but marrying an Iranian Muslim changed my life totally,” she said.

“After the martyrdom of my son, several writers proposed writing my biography but I did not consent. However, I met Hesam on a trip to Hiroshima and I trusted him, and the interviews began for the book,” she added.

Hesam previously said that he met Yamamura in 2014 during a visit to Hiroshima along with a number of Iranian cineastes, authors and war veterans who attended the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony.

Photo: A combination photo shows the front cover of “An Immigrant from the Land of the Sun” and Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s commendation for the book.

MMS/YAW