Beijing, Nov 25: A Japan boom is under way in the Chinese publishing world although China-Japan relations are at their lowest point since the two countries normalised ties in
1972.
Writer Haruki Murakami`s novels are highly popular in China as 31 of his books have been already translated into Chinese, including "Noruwei No Mori" (Norwegian Wood) and "Kafka No Umibe" (Kafka On The Shore).
Lin Shaohua, a professor at Hai Yang University who has translated many books written by Murakami, said the Japanese novelist`s stories are among the best-selling books published in China, including works by Chinese writers.
A "Murakami Fever" is raging among young Chinese people, such as white-collar workers earning more than 5,000 yuan (about 72,000 yen) a month.
A Japanese diplomat said relations between Japan and China are their worst since 1972, against the backdrop of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi`s visit to Yasukuni shrine, where class a war criminals are enshrined along with Japan`s war dead.
Nevertheless, the Japan boom is continuing in publishing circles, while diversified exchanges between the two nations are deepening and interest in Japan is growing among Chinese, especially intellectuals.
"The chrysanthemum and the sword," a book on Japanese culture written by US cultural anthropologist Ruth Benedict, was for more than 30 weeks last year one of the top 10 academic volumes listed by a Chinese newspaper.
Bureau Report
