Shogakukan Nonfiction Grand Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 16 (2009) grand prize
Kaori Kawai
かわい かおり
Kawai Kaori
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, Russian
Career
- Occupations
- non-fiction writer, writer, interviewer
- Active Years
- 2004-
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kobe City University of Foreign Studies | Faculty of Foreign Studies | Department of Russian | — | — | Japan |
| The University of Tokyo Graduate School (Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies) | — | Master's program (Interdisciplinary Information Studies) | 修士 | — | Japan |
Kobe City University of Foreign Studies
Faculty of Foreign Studies
/ Department of Russian
Country:
Japan
The University of Tokyo Graduate School (Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies)
Master's program (Interdisciplinary Information Studies)
Degree:
修士
Country:
Japan
Completed master's program
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 16th Shogakukan Nonfiction Award | Usuke Boys: The Revolutionaries of Japanese Wine | — | Shogakukan | 受賞 |
| 2019 | 50th Oyata Soichi Nonfiction Prize | The Life That Could Not Be Chosen: A Child Born After a Prenatal Misdiagnosis | — | Oyata Soichi Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2019 | 18th Shincho Document Award | The Life That Could Not Be Chosen: A Child Born After a Prenatal Misdiagnosis | — | Shinchosha | 受賞 |
16th Shogakukan Nonfiction Award
2010
Work:
Usuke Boys: The Revolutionaries of Japanese Wine
Organization:
Shogakukan
Result:
受賞
50th Oyata Soichi Nonfiction Prize
2019
Work:
The Life That Could Not Be Chosen: A Child Born After a Prenatal Misdiagnosis
Organization:
Oyata Soichi Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
18th Shincho Document Award
2019
Work:
The Life That Could Not Be Chosen: A Child Born After a Prenatal Misdiagnosis
Organization:
Shinchosha
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Oya Soichi Nonfiction Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 50 (2019) award
Shincho Document Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 18 (2019) award
Works
Major Works
Sex Volunteer
2004 Non-fictionDebut work. A reportage-style non-fiction based on interviews and field reporting about social issues.
social issuesfield reporting
Kidnapping Escape: The Girl Taken in Okinawa
2007 Non-fictionA reportage tracing the abduction and escape of a girl in Okinawa.
crimesocial impact
Usuke Boys: The Revolutionaries of Japanese Wine
2009 Non-fiction / ReportageProfiles of people who devoted their lives to making Japanese wine. The book was adapted into a film.
wineregional revitalizationentrepreneurship
Adaptations
- [film] Usuke Boys (film adaptation)
Book Cafe That Works on Despair
2017 Essay/ReportageAn essay collection about books, bookstores and cafes, containing short reportage pieces about hope and recovery.
readingcommunityrenewal
The Life That Could Not Be Chosen: A Child Born After a Prenatal Misdiagnosis
2018 Non-fictionA reportage that revisits prenatal testing and medical ethics through a case of a family affected by a prenatal misdiagnosis.
medical ethicsprenatal diagnosisfamily
Conquering the Novel Coronavirus: A Virology Professor Explains Its Nature
2020 Interview book / Non-fictionAn interview-based book in which Kaori Kawai serves as an interlocutor to Professor Yoshiro Kawaoka about the coronavirus and countermeasures.
infectious diseasescientific explanationpublic health
Watershed: A Documentary on the Expert Council for COVID-19 Response
2021 Non-fiction / DocumentaryA documentary-style reportage on the activities of the expert council involved in COVID-19 countermeasures.
policypandemicexpert council
Mother Cannot Die
2023 Non-fictionA reportage collection focusing on family and caregiving.
familycaregivingaging
Can Aging Be Treated?
2023 Non-fiction / ShinshoA book that examines the latest findings about aging and the possibility of its treatment.
agingmedicinelife sciences
Bibliography
- Sex Volunteer
- Kidnapping Escape: The Girl Taken in Okinawa
- Usuke Boys: The Revolutionaries of Japanese Wine
- Book Cafe That Works on Despair
- The Life That Could Not Be Chosen: A Child Born After a Prenatal Misdiagnosis
- Conquering the Novel Coronavirus: A Virology Professor Explains Its Nature
- Watershed: A Documentary on the Expert Council for COVID-19 Response
- Mother Cannot Die
- Can Aging Be Treated?
Adaptations
- Usuke Boys (book adapted into a film)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- reportage-focused, fact-driven non-fictionsocial analysis through case studiesaccessible, essay-like narrative
- Recurring Motifs
- medical ethicsindividual vs. societyregional and industrial revitalization
Legacy
Kaori Kawai is recognized for her reportage-based non-fiction covering medical ethics, social issues and regional revitalization. Through awards and regular media columns she has established herself as a contemporary reportage writer.
Trivia
- Debuted in 2004 with 'Sex Volunteer'.
- 'Usuke Boys' was adapted into a film after publication.
- Served as a reading committee member for the Yomiuri Shimbun for two years starting in 2010.
- Won the Oyata Soichi Nonfiction Prize and the Shincho Document Award in 2019 for 'The Life That Could Not Be Chosen'.
- Has written the 'Jidai no Kaze' column on the Sunday page of the Mainichi Shimbun since 2021.
- Has served on the selection committee for the Shogakukan Nonfiction Award since 2024.