Over the last few years we have seen Japanese titles take up half of the slots on translated literature bestseller lists. The distinctive yellow cover of Asako Yuzuki’s ‘Butter’ has been a staple in bookshops for many months. The long deceased crime classic Seicho Matsumoto is selling dozens of thousand copies, meanwhile the popularity of cozy fiction with cats and cute cafes sees no sign of waning. What caused this sudden wave of Western interest in Japanese fiction across all genres? Is it the extension of the Haruki Murakami effect? Or is it because of the popularity of manga and anime?

This talk will go behind the perfect storm of reasons that made Japanese literature the biggest publishing trend of recent years. We will also try to answer the question of what aspect of reading experience was the Western public missing and why Japanese writers are uniquely positioned to fill that gap. What are the remaining Japanese titles that are still being overlooked? We’ll try to share our future predictions as well!

About the contributor

Jane Lawson

Jane Lawson is a Publishing Director at Penguin Books. Over a career spanning thirty years, she has discovered numerous prize-winning and bestselling writers including Bonnie Garmus’ LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY; Vikas Swarup’s SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE; Monica Ali’s BRICK LANE; Markus Zusak’s THE BOOK THIEF; and Hallie Rubenhold’s THE FIVE. Known for her growing list of East Asian authors, she is one of a few publishers behind the Japanese fiction boom. She partly credits her fascination for this space to her childhood in Tokyo.

Kaja Murawska

Kaja Murawska has been covering the Japanese publishing market for the recent ‘Publishing in Japan’ edition of Publishers Weekly, where she interviewed authors such as Haruki Murakami, Asako Yuzuki and Mieko Kawakami. Her extensive experience with the Japanese publishing market includes conducting seminars for Japanese publishers, as well as acquiring and selling book rights in Japan while working for publishing companies such as the Folio Society, Hachette and Quarto. Most recently she moderated panels with Japanese writers during the London Book Fair.

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