Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–Renowned Japanese novelist Ryu Murakami died Saturday. He was 74. Murakami, born in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, was known for his works such as “Almost Transparent Blue” and “Coin Locker Babies.” In 1976, Murakami won the Gunzo Prize for New Writers and the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for his debut novel “Almost Transparent Blue,” which he wrote while attending university. The work became a bestseller, selling 3.5 million hardcover and paperback copies. Murakami also served as the chief interviewer on TV Tokyo Corp.’s popular television program “Cambrian Palace” for two decades. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
