The American arm of a Japan-based confectionery company has raised close to $6,000 for relief efforts.

Morinaga America Inc., the U.S. marketing and distributing channel for HI-CHEW Fruit Chews, raised the money with impromptu fundraising efforts at the recent Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E3).

All the money is slated to be donated to Save the Children Japan Earthquake Relief Efforts.

“It was really an amazing response by the attendees  at C2E2 to help those in Japan devastated by the earthquake and tsunami,” says Toshiya Yasuda, Morinaga America’s president. “The overwhelming generosity of so many people who bought our fruit chews to help those in Japan made this such a successful fundraiser.”

HI-CHEW Fruit Chews have widespread popularity in Japan and throughout the Far East, and also are popular in U.S., where they are primarily available on the West and East Coasts.

For more information, visit www.hi-chew.com.