Japanese Literary Awards

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Kiyoshi Shimizu

しみず きよし

Shimizu Kiyoshi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1958-01-01 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Journalist, Author, Television reporter/producer
Active Years
1980-

Awards

Certificate of Appreciation from the Commissioner-General of the National Police Agency
Japan Congress of Journalists (JCJ) Grand Prize
Work: Testament: The Okegawa Stalker Case
Organization: Japan Congress of Journalists
Result: 受賞
Editors' Choice Magazine Journalism Award
2001
Work: Reporting on the Okegawa case
Result: 受賞
Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Grand Prize (Excellence Award)
2010
Work: Reporting on the Ashikaga case
Organization: Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association
Result: 受賞
Galaxy Awards Encouragement Prize
2010
Work: NNN Documentary '10 "Prosecutors... Another Suspicion - The Sealed True Culprit"
Organization: Japan Council for Better Radio and Television
Result: 受賞
Editors' Choice Magazine Journalism Award
2011
Work: Ashikaga case serial coverage
Result: 受賞
Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Criticism/Essay Category)
2014
Work: The Murderer Is There: The Concealed North-Kanto Serial Child Kidnapping-Murder Case
Category: 評論その他
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: 受賞
Shincho Documentary Prize
2015
Work: The Murderer Is There: The Concealed North-Kanto Serial Child Kidnapping-Murder Case
Organization: Shinchosha
Result: 受賞
Galaxy Awards Excellence Award
2015
Work: NNN Documentary '15 "The Nanjing Incident - Soldiers' Testament"
Organization: Japan Council for Better Radio and Television
Result: 受賞
Broadcast Person Grand Prix
2016
Work: NNN Documentary '15 "The Nanjing Incident - Soldiers' Testament"
Result: 受賞
Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association TV Reporting Excellence Award
2018
Work: NNN Documentary '18 "Nanjing Incident II - Investigate Historical Revisionism"
Organization: Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association
Result: 受賞
Galaxy Awards Encouragement Prize
2020
Work: NNN Documentary '20 "Sealed - The Railroad Accident Hidden in the Battle of Okinawa"
Organization: Japan Council for Better Radio and Television
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Testament: The Okegawa Stalker Case

2000 Non-fiction (investigative journalism)

An investigative account based on reporting of the Okegawa stalker-murder case, detailing the incident and issues in the police investigation.

crime reportingpolice accountabilityvictim advocacy
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] (Drama adaptation under same title) (2002)

The Murderer Is There: The Concealed North-Kanto Serial Child Kidnapping-Murder Case

2013 Non-fiction (investigative journalism)

Based on long-term reporting into the North-Kanto serial child kidnapping-murder cases (including the Ashikaga case), the book highlights possible wrongful convictions and inconsistencies in investigations.

wrongful convictionDNA testingjudicial scrutiny

I Won't Be Fooled: Behind Investigative Reporting

2015 Non-fiction (media/journalism)

Essays and commentary on methods of investigative reporting, field realities, and journalistic ethics.

investigative journalismreporting ethics

Investigate the 'Nanjing Incident'

2016 Non-fiction (historical investigation)

A research-based examination of the Nanjing incident using sources and testimonies; related to documentary reporting such as NNN Documentary.

historical revisionism investigationprimary-source research

At the End of the Railway

2020 Non-fiction

A non-fiction work delving into historical railway facts and the stories of people connected to them.

railway historywar and society

Bibliography

  • Testament: The Okegawa Stalker Case
  • The Murderer Is There: The Concealed North-Kanto Serial Child Kidnapping-Murder Case
  • I Won't Be Fooled: Behind Investigative Reporting
  • Investigate the 'Nanjing Incident'
  • At the End of the Railway

Adaptations

  • 'Testament' adapted for TV drama (2002 and subsequent dramatizations)
  • Manga adaptation featuring Kiyoshi Shimizu as protagonist: 'VS.' (Weekly Young Jump short serialization, 2009)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Fact-based, meticulous investigative reportage styleNon-fiction emphasizing field reporting and testimony
Recurring Motifs
pursuit of wrongful convictionsscrutiny of police and judiciaryvictim-centered perspective

Legacy

A leading figure in investigative journalism whose long-term field reporting and verification work influenced wrongful conviction relief and transparency in investigations. His documentaries and books provoked broad public discussion.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Congress of Journalists (related)

In Popular Culture

  • Manga adaptation in Weekly Young Jump (featuring Shimizu as protagonist)
  • TV drama adaptations of 'Testament'
  • 'The Murderer Is There' as the central title in the Bunko X phenomenon

Trivia

  • 'The Murderer Is There' became the central title of the Bunko X phenomenon and sold over 300,000 copies under anonymous/hand-covered distribution (around 2016).
  • 'Testament' was adapted into TV drama(s) and has been featured in reenactment programs multiple times.
  • His reporting on the Ashikaga case prompted re-testing of DNA evidence and contributed to the release of a convicted prisoner.