The reason we readers are so lucky is that all these authors died in 1962, and per copyright law in Japan, the entirety of an artist’s work becomes public domain fifty years after their death.

This law is bittersweet for us Americans who, because of changes in our copyright law, won’t see anything enter the public domain now until 2019. Follow through that link to see all the awesome stuff we could have gotten this year if the law didn’t become shitty in 1978! Real bummer.

Her competition:

• Between Clay and Dust – Musharraf Ali Farooqi (Pakistan)

• Silent House – Orhan Pamuk (Turkey)

• The Garden of Evening Mists – Tan Twan Eng (Malaysia)

• Narcopolis – Jeet Thayil (India)

The winner will receive $30,000 and if Kawakami wins, translator Alison Markin Powell will also receive $5,000. The prize will be announced on March 14th.

Be sure to read Junbungaku‘s review of The Briefcase here.

The Asahi points out in their report that there are a couple interesting nominees this year. One Akutagawa finalist, Kuroda Natsuko, is a first time finalist at 75 years old; if she won, she would be the oldest winner in the prize’s history. On the other end, Kouno Nagara, another first time finalist, is a 20-year old university student (though he wouldn’t be the youngest to win the prize). And this is Maijou Outaro’s fourth time to be nominated.

Asai Ryou, a finalist for this season’s Naoki Prize, is just 23 and if he goes on to be the winner, will be the youngest to win the prize in the post-war years (22-year old Tsutsumi Chiyo won in 1940).

Akutagawa Prize

• Ono Masatsugu, 「獅子渡り鼻」from Gunzo, Nov. ’12
• Kitano Michio, 「関東平野」 from Bungakukai, Sep. ’12
• Kuroda Natsuko, 「ａｂさんご」from Waseda Bungaku Vol. 5
• Kouno Nagara, 「肉骨茶」from Shinchou, Nov. ’12
• Maijou Outarou, 「美味しいシャワーヘッド」from Shinchou, Aug. ’12

Naoki Prize

• Asai Ryou, 「何者」
• Abe Ryuutarou, 「等伯」
• Arikawa Hiro, 「空飛ぶ広報室」
• Ito Jun,  「国を蹴った男」 (available in Kindle!)
• Shigawa Setsuko, 「春はそこまで　風待ち小路の人々」(available in Kindle!)
• Nishi Kanako, 「ふくわらい」

Winners will be announced on the 16th.

Probably more or less the same books offered by Kobo and Amazon (it was only a few months ago when they had 50,000, and promising to offer more) but it’ll be interesting to see if they increase the number of books (and by books I mean novels, they seem to be doing okay with manga) that people would actually like to read. Whenever I do some browsing, it seems like 50,000 equals some slim pickings; then again, I’m not itching to read bestsellers and the like.

(Happy New Year! I humbly apologize for the vast emptiness that was November and December. I hope to work a little harder in 2013 to keep this site running and relevant.)

1. 舟を編む (“Gather the Boats”), Miura Shion

2. 謎解きはディナーのあとで/ 謎解きはディナーのあとで（2）(“The Mystery Will Be Solved After Dinner” 1 & 2), Higashigawa Tokuya

3. 恋物語 (“Love Story”), Nisio Isin
4. 共喰い (“Eating Each Other”), Tanaka Shin’ya
5. ナミヤ雑貨店の奇蹟 (“The Miracles of the Namiya General Store”), Higashino Keigo
6. 虚像の道化師　ガリレオ（7）/ 禁断の魔術　ガリレオ（8）(“Virtual Clown: Galileo 7,” “The Forbidden Magic: Galileo 8″), Higashino Keigo

7. 神様のカルテ (3）(“God’s Clinical Records Part 3″), Natsugawa Sosuke

8. 憑物語 (“Demon Story”), Nisio Isin
9. ジェノサイド (“Genocide”),  Takano Kazuaki
10. 蜩ノ記 (“Chronicle of the Evening Cicadas”), Hamuro Rin

I’m still not really sure why Tohan will consider two or more books in a series as one entry on the list, but there it is. The only shame is that “Gather the Boats,” our number one book on this list, is only number five of books overall, and “The Mystery Will Be Solved After Dinner” series falls way down to 17 on that same list.

Overall takeaway: Literary awards actually have sway with the public; half of the books above have won major awards (though “Gather the Boats” was won by a popular vote by booksellers).

• Aoyama Nanae, すみれ (“Violet”)
• Ishii Shinji, ある一日 (“One Day”)
• Ekuni Kaori, 犬とハモニカ (“The Dog and the Harmonica”)
• Kubo Misumi, 晴天の迷いクジラ (“Lost Whale on a Fine Day”)
• Tanaka Shin’ya, 夜蜘蛛 (“The Night Spider”)

Organized by the Mainichi Shimbun, the city of Osaka, and the Osaka Literary Promotion Association, the prize, in its current form, honors a publication (fiction or non-fiction) that relates to Kansai culture, in addition to a New Writer’s Prize, which is selected from previously unpublished submissions by authors under the age of 24. The winner of the Main Prize will receive a million yen, and the winner of the New Writer’s Prize will receive 300,00 yen.

The current judges for the Main Prize are authors Inaba Mayumi, Tsujihara Noboru, and Gen Getsu, literary critic Tanaka Kazuo, and Professor at Kansai University Professor Kawata Teiichi.

Just over two weeks ago, Amazon finally launched the Kindle store in Japan.

One week after that announcement, the Asahi reported that both Sony and Rakuten Kobo cut the prices of their e-readers. The Sony E-Reader PRS G-1, which is Wi-Fi and 3G enabled, was cut to 10,800 yen, a not insignificant 4,000 yen decrease.

The Kobo Touch and Kobo Glo, which have Wi-Fi but not 3G, now currently go for about 7,000 and 8,000 yen respectively.

Now, Publishing Perspectives (via Computerworld) has pointed out that Amazon will be cutting the prices of their new Paperwhite models, less than two weeks after first announcing their launch and initial price:

The Kindle Paperwhite’s price is now down to ¥7,980 (or around US$100), down approximately 5% from its earlier price of $120. In the US, by comparison, the Paperwhite comes in two versions: an ad-supported model sells for $120, and an ad-free model for $140. According to Computerworld, the Japanese Paperwhite seems to come without ads, although there has been no official confirmation.

Less than what it costs in America now, and with the same price point as the Kobo Glo! (The Paperwhite with 3G capabilities still sits at 12,980 yen, however).

It’s getting serious, guys.

In addition to the main prize, the Noma Literary New Writer’s Prize goes to Hiwa Akiko and Yamashita Sumito, for their novels 「螺法四千年記」(“The 4,000 Year History of Rahou”) and 「緑のさる」(“The Green Monkey”), respectively. They each will receive a million yen.

Finally, the Noma Literary Award for Children’s Literature goes to Ishizaki Hiroshi for his novel 「世界の果ての魔女学校」(“The School for Witches at the End of the World”). He will receive two million yen.

From Amazon:

From acclaimed Japanese author Randy Taguchi come four unforgettable stories of redemption, discovery, loss, and remembrance anchored by one of the world’s holiest peaks. Mount Fuji has been a source of spiritual inspiration since it was first ascended by a monk over a millennium ago.

“Blue Summit” introduces a former cult member struggling to maintain his escape from a mountain monastery, seeking solace in the fluorescent lights of the convenience store he manages. In “Sea of Trees,” three teenage boys who share a fascination with the metaphysical confront the startling realities of death and despair on their final adventure together before parting ways for different schools. “Jamila” chronicles a privileged young man’s descent into disillusionment as he works with a compulsive hoarder to clear her mess. And in “Child of Light,” a nurse struggles as she comes to terms with her role in the oft-brutal cycle of birth, life, and death.

Throughout the stories, Mount Fuji stands sentinel even as it fades in and out of view—watching and remembering as it always has.

Starting in 1990 and run by Otaru City in Hokkaido, the Ito Sei Literary Prize awarded a prize in both fiction and criticism in honor of the Hokkaido born Kikuchi Kan Prize winning novelist, critic, and translator.

The prize has gone to a lot of prominent and distinguished writers, beginning with future Nobel Prize winner Oe Kenzaburo for An Echo of Heaven, its most recent winner Horie Toshiyuki, and other noteworthy contemporary writers Kakuta Mitsuyo, Levy Hideo, Shimada Masahiko, Takahashi Genichiro, Tawada Yoko, Kawakami Hiromi, and Abe Kazushige.

What a shame. Considering the pedigree, it’s one of the few of the many, many literary awards worth paying attention, in my opinion.