Japanese Literary Awards

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Miho Hirai

ひらい みほ

Hirai Miho

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1971-01-01 （Suita, Osaka, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, English
Residence History
Suita, Osaka (birthplace) → United States (Colorado, California) → Tokyo, Japan (base)

Career

Occupations
non-fiction writer, writer
Active Years
1993-
Nominations
12th (2005) Shogakukan Nonfiction Award - Finalist: 'Please Lend Me Your Uterus', 6th (2008) Kaikō Ken Nonfiction Award - Finalist (then): 'Bride from China', 5th (2022) Yahoo! News / Honya Taishō Nonfiction Award - Nominee: 'Daughters Offered to Soviet Soldiers', 22nd (2022) Ishibashi Tanzan Memorial Waseda Journalism Award - Nominee: 'Daughters Offered to Soviet Soldiers', 54th (2023) Ōya Sōichi Nonfiction Prize - Nominee: 'Daughters Offered to Soviet Soldiers'

Education

Osaka Prefectural Senri High School
Period: 〜1989
Year of Graduation: 1989
Country: Japan
Moved to the U.S. after graduation
Colorado State University (language program)
language program
Period: 1989（語学研修）
Year of Graduation: 1989
Country: United States
Short-term language course
University of Southern California (USC)
Theatre Arts & International Relations
Period: 1989-1993
Year of Graduation: 1993
Country: United States
Studied theatre arts and international relations; graduated 1993
Nihon University Graduate School of Law (Law School)
Graduate School of Law (post-legal training course)
Degree: 法務博士
Period: 2020-2022
Year of Graduation: 2022
Country: Japan
Entered and completed the post-legal training course (J.D./Doctor of Juridical Science equivalent)

Awards

Kaikō Ken Nonfiction Award
2021
Work: Daughters Offered to Soviet Soldiers
Organization: Shueisha
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Please Lend Me Your Uterus

2006 non-fiction

A reportage exploring childbirth, reproduction, and women's bodies.

women's rightsreproduction

Encyclopedia of World Money

2006 reference

An introductory reference about currencies and finance around the world.

economicsfinance

Madness Lost to Prison: The Nagahama 'Two Children' Stabbing Case

2011 non-fiction

A reportage investigating the Nagahama childcare stabbing case, examining background and impact.

crimejusticesocial issues

Chinese Left-Behind Orphans: 70 Years of Solitude

2015 non-fiction

Reporting on the lives and loneliness of Chinese left-behind orphans.

postwar historyorphansinternational relations

Daughters Offered to Soviet Soldiers

2022 reportage / non-fiction

Based on testimonies from women of the Kurokawa settlement in Manchuria, it documents sexual violence and victims' experiences immediately after the war.

war and sexual violencevictim testimonyhistorical record

Bibliography

  • Please Lend Me Your Uterus
  • Encyclopedia of World Money
  • Inside the Heart of Divorced Men: What They Seek in Marriage
  • Irena Sendler: Mother of the Holocaust's Children
  • Madness Lost to Prison: The Nagahama 'Two Children' Stabbing Case
  • Chinese Left-Behind Orphans: 70 Years of Solitude
  • Daughters Offered to Soviet Soldiers

Style & Themes

Literary Style
reportagedocumentary-style narrationinvestigative non-fiction
Recurring Motifs
amplifying women's voicestestimonies of minoritiesre-examination of postwar history

Legacy

A non-fiction writer noted for in-depth reporting that highlights women and minorities. Recognized for bringing attention to wartime abuses and socially overlooked issues.

Quotes

  • Listening to voices that have not been asked for is at the root of my work.
    Source: Award interview (19th Kaikō Ken Nonfiction Award) (2021)

Trivia

  • Great-grandfather was Hirai Kisho, a late-Edo Nagasaki interpreter/diplomat.
  • Completed Nihon University Graduate School of Law (Doctor of Juridical Science equivalent) in 2022.
  • Passed the Japanese bar examination in 2024.