Japanese Literary Awards

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Fumio Matsuo

まつお ふみお

Matsuo Fumio

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1933-08-12 （Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2019-02-25 （Hotel in Syracuse, New York, USA） age 85
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo, Japan (birth and upbringing) → New York, USA (correspondent/stationed) → Washington, D.C., USA (correspondent/station chief) → Bangkok, Thailand (bureau chief) → Syracuse, New York, USA (died while visiting)

Career

Occupations
journalist, editor, author
Active Years
1956-2019
Affiliations
Kyodo News, Fumio Matsuo Office, Telerate (international financial information service), The University of Tokyo Press Research Institute (lecturer, part-time)

Education

Gakushuin University
Faculty of Political Science and Economics / Department of Political Science
Degree: 学士
Period: 1952–1956
Year of Graduation: 1956
Country: Japan
Graduated from Gakushuin University, Faculty of Political Science and Economics. Lived briefly as a roommate with then Crown Prince Akihito while at Gakushuin.

Awards

Japan Essayist Club Award (52nd)
2004
Work: Democracy with a Gun — America and the Making of a Nation
Organization: Japan Essayist Club
Result: winner
Japan Press Club Award (2017)
2017
Organization: Japan Press Club
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Nixon's America

1972 Non-fiction (politics/international relations)

An analysis of U.S. policy and the historical background of the Nixon administration.

U.S. presidential politicsAmerican conservatism

Democracy with a Gun — America and the Making of a Nation

2004 Non-fiction (history/politics)

Examines American history through the lens of firearms and violence, discussing the relationship between state formation and culture.

American historyviolence and politicsnational character
Adaptations
  • [book (English translation)] Democracy with a Gun (2007)
Translations
  • Democracy with a Gun ― English translation

The Day President Obama Will Lay Flowers in Hiroshima

2009 Non-fiction (current affairs/diplomacy)

Discusses the role of mutual flower-laying and diplomatic gestures between Japan and the U.S. in historical reconciliation.

Japan–U.S. relationshistorical reconciliationdiplomacy

America and China

2017 Non-fiction (international relations)

Outlines the historical shifts and contemporary interactions in U.S.–China relations regarding security and diplomacy.

U.S.–China relationsinternational politics

Bibliography

  • Nixon's America (1972)
  • Democracy with a Gun — America and the Making of a Nation (2004)
  • The Day President Obama Will Lay Flowers in Hiroshima (2009)
  • America and China (2017)

Translations of Works

  • Democracy with a Gun (English translation, 2007)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
journalistic, analytical proseessayistic approach linking historical background to contemporary assessment
Recurring Motifs
U.S. politics and diplomacyviolence and state formationJapan–U.S. relations and reconciliation

Legacy

Active for decades in international affairs, especially U.S. studies; recognized for commentary and proposals on Japan–U.S. and U.S.–China relations. Awarded honors including the Japan Essayist Club Award and the Japan Press Club Award for journalistic achievement.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Essayist Club
  • Japan Press Club

Archives

  • Contributions and articles held in Kyodo News archives and related repositories

Trivia

  • Lived briefly as a roommate with then Crown Prince Akihito at Gakushuin.
  • Came from a family with military, political, and business figures among relatives.
  • Won the Japan Essayist Club Award in 2004 for 'Democracy with a Gun'.
  • Received the Japan Press Club Award in 2017 for contributions including efforts toward mutual flower-laying between Japan and the U.S.
  • Died in 2019 while visiting Syracuse, New York.