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Keiko Horikawa

ほりかわ けいこ

Horikawa Keiko

Aliases: 堀川 恵子 / 堀川惠子

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1969-11-27 （Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
broadcast reporter, documentary director, non-fiction writer
Active Years
1992-
Affiliations
Hiroshima Telecasting Co., Ltd., NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), TV Asahi Corporation, Nippon Television Network Corporation, Fuji Television Network, Inc., TV Tokyo Corporation, Freelance (documentary production), Hiroshima University (Specially Invited Professor)

Education

Hiroshima University
Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences / Foreign Language Course
Degree: 学士
Period: 〜1992年
Year of Graduation: 1992
Country: Japan
Graduated from the Foreign Language Course

Awards

NNN Annual Award
2003
Work: Mazda: The Road to Revival — U.S.-Japan Auto Warriors
Organization: NNN (Nippon Television News Network)
Result: 受賞
Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Awards
2003
Work: Japan's Calligraphy: Challenging the World
Category: テレビ教養番組部門 優秀賞
Organization: Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association
Result: 優秀賞
Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Awards
2004
Work: Tram and Schoolgirls — Summer 2003 Hiroshima
Category: テレビ教養番組部門 最優秀賞
Organization: Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association
Result: 最優秀賞
Broadcasting Culture Foundation Award
2004
Work: Tram and Schoolgirls — Summer 2003 Hiroshima
Category: ドキュメンタリー番組賞
Organization: Broadcasting Culture Foundation
Result: 受賞
ATP Television Grand Prix
2006
Work: Hiroshima: Wartime Love Letters — Actress Akiko Morishita's Hibakusha Story
Category: ドキュメンタリー部門 優秀賞
Organization: All Japan TV Program Production Companies Association (ATP)
Result: 優秀賞
Galaxy Awards
2011
Work: Death Row Inmate Norio Nagayama — 28 Years of Dialogue Behind Bars
Category: テレビ部門 大賞
Organization: Broadcasting Critics Association
Result: 大賞
Kodansha Non-Fiction Prize
2010
Work: Standards of the Death Penalty: What the Nagayama Trial Left Behind
Organization: Kodansha
Result: 受賞
Broadcasting People Grand Prix
2010
Organization: Broadcasting People Association
Result: 受賞
Shincho Document Award
2011
Work: Judged Lives: Letters from Death Row
Organization: Shinchosha
Result: 受賞
Broadcast Woman Award
2011
Organization: Japan Women Broadcasters Association
Result: 受賞
Ishibashi Tanzan Memorial Waseda Journalism Award
2013
Work: Norio Nagayama: 100 Hours of Confessions — The Truth of Sealed Psychiatric Evaluations
Category: 文化貢献部門
Organization: Ishibashi Tanzan Memorial Waseda Journalism Award Committee
Result: 大賞
Shiroyama Saburo Prize
2014
Work: The Chaplain
Organization: Kadokawa Culture Promotion Foundation
Result: 受賞
Ishibashi Tanzan Memorial Waseda Journalism Award
2016
Work: The Atomic-Bomb Memorial Tower: 70 Years of Forgotten Remains
Category: 草の根民主主義部門
Organization: Ishibashi Tanzan Memorial Waseda Journalism Award Committee
Result: 大賞
Oya Soichi Non-Fiction Prize
2016
Work: The Atomic-Bomb Memorial Tower: 70 Years of Forgotten Remains
Organization: Oya Soichi Non-Fiction Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan National Press Club Award (Special Prize)
2016
Organization: Japan National Press Club
Result: 特別賞
AICT Theatre Criticism Award
2017
Work: Theatre Artists Who Lived Through the War: Director Hatta Motoo and the Tragedy of "Sakura-tai"
Organization: International Association of Theatre Critics (Japan Centre)
Result: 受賞
Shiba Ryotaro Award
2019
Work: Wolf's Righteousness: A New Biography of Inukai Mokudō
Organization: Shiba Ryotaro Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
Osaragi Jiro Prize
2021
Work: Dawn at Ujina: Army Shipping Commanders and Hiroshima
Organization: Osaragi Jiro Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Standards of the Death Penalty: What the Nagayama Trial Left Behind

2009 Non-fiction

An investigative account of the Norio Nagayama case and its trials, examining the death penalty and psychiatric evaluations. The book analyzes court records and forensic reports to discuss the societal implications of capital punishment.

death penaltyjudiciaryforensic psychiatry

Judged Lives: Letters from Death Row

2011 Non-fiction

Based on letters and testimonies from death row inmates, this work portrays the realities of the death penalty and the human faces of both victims and perpetrators.

capital punishmenthuman rightsmemoirs

Norio Nagayama: The Sealed Forensic Records

2013 Non-fiction

Unearthing previously sealed psychiatric evaluations and audio records, the book reports in detail on the defendant's mental state and issues within judicial procedures.

psychiatric medicinejudicial processarchival research

The Chaplain

2014 Non-fiction

A reportage based on interviews with prison chaplains and correctional facilities, depicting themes of guilt, forgiveness, and atonement.

correctionsforgivenessreligion

The Atomic-Bomb Memorial Tower: 70 Years of Forgotten Remains

2015 Reportage / Non-fiction

Tracing the remains at an atomic-bomb memorial tower and records of bereaved families, this investigative book examines memory in the affected region and societal/administrative responses.

atomic bombingmemorysearch for bereaved families

Theatre Artists Who Lived Through the War: Director Hatta Motoo and the Tragedy of "Sakura-tai"

2017 Non-fiction / Theatre history

Following the wartime theater world, this work traces the troupe "Sakura-tai" and director Hatta Motoo, depicting the impact of war on culture and people.

wartime culturetheatre historypersonal records
Adaptations
  • [Stage play] The Lion's Dream — Theatre Artists in Wartime

Wolf's Righteousness: A New Biography of Inukai Mokudō

2019 Historical novel / Biography

A novelistic biography completed from the late Hayashi Shin's unfinished manuscript, portraying Inukai Tsuyoshi (Inukai Mokudō) and modern political history.

modern historypolitical biographyinheritance of manuscripts
Adaptations
  • [TV commentary (program feature)] Heroes' Choices (related episode)

Dawn at Ujina: Army Shipping Commanders and Hiroshima

2021 Non-fiction / Military history

An investigation and reconstruction of wartime history related to Hiroshima from the perspective of army shipping units and their commanders. The work led to related NHK documentary programming.

war historymilitaryHiroshima
Adaptations
  • [TV documentary] The Track of Collapse — "Dawn at Ujina": The Army Shipping Unit's War (2024)

The Day We Stopped Dialysis

2024 Medical non-fiction

Part one chronicles the author's husband's dialysis and illness; part two is an investigative report on dialysis care and end-of-life issues. The book raises the need for palliative care for dialysis patients and has stimulated policy discussions.

healthcarepalliative caredialysis

Tram and Schoolgirls: August 6, 1945 — Hiroshima

2005 Reportage / Co-authored

A record tracing the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 and citizens' memories. Co-authored and later adapted for stage and musical productions.

atomic bombingsocial historyremembrance
Adaptations
  • [Musical] Tram and Schoolgirls (musical) (2017)
  • [Stage play] Tram and Schoolgirls (stage adaptation)

Bibliography

  • Standards of the Death Penalty: What the Nagayama Trial Left Behind
  • Judged Lives: Letters from Death Row
  • Norio Nagayama: The Sealed Forensic Records
  • The Chaplain
  • The Atomic-Bomb Memorial Tower: 70 Years of Forgotten Remains
  • Theatre Artists Who Lived Through the War
  • Wolf's Righteousness: A New Biography of Inukai Mokudō
  • Dawn at Ujina: Army Shipping Commanders and Hiroshima
  • The Day We Stopped Dialysis
  • Tram and Schoolgirls: August 6, 1945 — Hiroshima (co-authored)

Adaptations

  • Tram and Schoolgirls adapted into a musical and stage plays
  • Theatre Artists Who Lived Through the War adapted for the stage
  • Dawn at Ujina adapted into an NHK documentary

Style & Themes

Literary Style
reportage-style nonfictionreporting-focused narrativemeasured, meticulous prose
Recurring Motifs
death and punishmentwar and atomic bombingmemory and bereaved familiesinstitutions and policymedical care and end-of-life

Legacy

Keiko Horikawa, from Hiroshima, is a journalist, documentary director and non-fiction author. She has probed major social issues—capital punishment, atomic-bomb aftermath, war and healthcare—through meticulous reporting and has received many major awards. She is notable for having won the three major non-fiction prizes with different works, and her recent book catalyzed policy discussions on palliative care for dialysis patients.

Academic Societies

  • Hiroshima University
  • Kyushu University, Graduate School of Law (part-time lecturer)

Archives

  • Web NDL Authorities (National Diet Library): Horikawa, Keiko, 1969-

In Popular Culture

  • Tram and Schoolgirls adapted into musicals and stage plays
  • Her works have been featured or adapted in NHK programs

Trivia

  • When she joined Hiroshima Telecasting, she was assigned as the station's first female reporter in the press club.
  • Her husband was Hayashi Shin (former NHK executive producer, d.2017); she completed his unfinished manuscript and published "Wolf's Righteousness."
  • She is one of the active authors who have won the three major non-fiction prizes (Kodansha, Shincho, Oya Soichi) with different works.
  • Her latest book, "The Day We Stopped Dialysis," became a best-seller in medical non-fiction and prompted policy discussions.