Kodansha Nonfiction Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 27 (2005) award
Shuji Okuno
オクノ シュウジ
Okuno Shuji
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1948-07-05 （Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Osaka Prefecture, Japan → South America (research stay)
Career
- Occupations
- Journalist, Non-fiction writer
- Active Years
- 1978-
- Memberships
- Selection committee member, Ōya Sōichi Non-Fiction Prize (magazine category; from 2014)
- Influenced By
- Yasuo Fujisaki (mentor)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ritsumeikan University | Faculty of Economics | — | — | — | Japan |
Ritsumeikan University
Faculty of Economics
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Magazine Journalism Award (selected by editors) | Article "The 'Sakakibara' 28 Years Later" (Bungei Shunju, Dec. 1997) | — | — | Winner |
| 2006 | Kodansha Non-Fiction Prize | Natsuko: The Queen of Okinawa Smuggling | — | Kodansha | Winner |
| 2006 | Ōya Sōichi Non-Fiction Prize | Natsuko: The Queen of Okinawa Smuggling | — | Ōya Sōichi Prize Committee | Winner |
Magazine Journalism Award (selected by editors)
1998
Work:
Article "The 'Sakakibara' 28 Years Later" (Bungei Shunju, Dec. 1997)
Result:
Winner
Kodansha Non-Fiction Prize
2006
Work:
Natsuko: The Queen of Okinawa Smuggling
Organization:
Kodansha
Result:
Winner
Ōya Sōichi Non-Fiction Prize
2006
Work:
Natsuko: The Queen of Okinawa Smuggling
Organization:
Ōya Sōichi Prize Committee
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Oya Soichi Nonfiction Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 37 (2006) award
Works
Major Works
Nejireta Kizuna: Seventeen Years of the Baby-Switching Case
1995 Non-fictionA long-term investigative report on a baby-switching case, following the families, legal processes and societal reactions.
familyjusticesocial issueslong-term reportage
Adaptations
- [TV drama] Nejireta Kizuna: The 42-Year Truth of the Baby-Switching Case (2013)
A Knife in the Heart
2006 Non-fictionAn investigative account of a high-school beheading murder case, exploring perspectives of victims, perpetrators and those involved.
crimejuvenile crimesocial psychology
Adaptations
- [TV drama] Shonen A: The Other Sakakibara Incident (2007)
- [Radio drama] A Knife in the Heart (NHK-FM FM Theater)
Natsuko: The Queen of Okinawa Smuggling
2005 Non-fictionA long-term investigative report into smuggling networks in Okinawa and the people involved, depicting social contradictions and personal histories.
smugglingOkinawasocial structurelong-term reportage
The Emperor's Melancholy
2019 Non-fiction / CommentaryA journalistic and analytical examination of contemporary issues surrounding the Imperial Household.
Imperial Householdmodern societypolitics
Dementia Is Not an Illness
2024 Non-fictionA critical and suggestive non-fiction work that reconsiders perspectives on dementia and approaches to caregiving.
dementiacaregivingsocial welfare
Bibliography
- Ichiro Ozawa: The Conqueror's Resume (1994)
- Nejireta Kizuna: Seventeen Years of the Baby-Switching Case (1995)
- Concealment: Parents' Battle to Publicize Bullying Information (1997)
- The Birth of the Crown Prince (2001)
- Natsuko: The Queen of Okinawa Smuggling (2005)
- A Knife in the Heart (2006)
- Satisfied Death: The Idea of Zero Bedridden (2007)
- Hay Fever Is an Environmental Problem (2008)
- Still, We Grow the Best Rice in the World (2009)
- Okinawa Phantom (2009)
- Truants: The Island of Regeneration (2012)
- The Dying Teacher's Testament (2013)
- Against Radiation: Men Devoted to Reviving Fukushima Agriculture (2013)
- Even a Spirit, Stay Beside Me (2017)
- Pleasant Dementia: People Turning Care into 'Comfort Care' (2018)
- The Emperor's Melancholy (2019)
- Mako Crisis (2022)
- Secret Documents Speak: Imperial Family Assets (2022)
- Dementia Is Not an Illness (2024)
Adaptations
- Shonen A: The Other Sakakibara Incident (TV Asahi, 2007)
- Nejireta Kizuna: The 42-Year Truth of the Baby-Switching Case (Fuji TV, 2013)
- A Knife in the Heart (NHK-FM FM Theater, radio drama)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- rigorous, research-based reportagefact-centered non-fiction narrativeaccessible narrative voice
- Recurring Motifs
- long-term investigationportrayals of marginalized peopleexamination of institutional and systemic issues
Legacy
Recognized as a journalist and writer who probes social issues through long-term investigative reportage. Winner of multiple non-fiction awards, with several works adapted for screen and radio.
In Popular Culture
- Widely referenced through screen and radio adaptations of works such as A Knife in the Heart and Nejireta Kizuna.
- Nejireta Kizuna was cited as a reference for Hirokazu Kore-eda's film Like Father, Like Son.
Trivia
- From 1978 he studied under Yasuo Fujisaki and conducted research on Japanese emigrants in South America.
- A Knife in the Heart became a bestseller and was adapted or referenced in TV and radio productions.