Worth Sharing - A Selection of Japanese Books Recommended for Translation

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We are pleased to announce the launch of a new website entitled Worth Sharing – A Selection of Japanese Books Recommended for Translation (https://www.worthsharing.jpf.go.jp/en/).

We will continue to update the website with information related to the recommended titles and projects for interaction between authors, translators, and editors. We hope you enjoy the new site!

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For more than 40 years the Japan Foundation has supported the publication of Japan-related books around the world through its Support Program for Translation and Publication on Japan. Through this support program, books in over 50 languages have been published in a wide array of genres, including classic and contemporary literature, history, sociology, politics, economics, and cultural theory.

In 2012 we launched a new initiative called Worth Sharing—A Selection of Japanese Books Recommended for Translation, aimed at giving people overseas a better understanding of contemporary Japan by selecting recommended outstanding books for translation. Then, we worked toward the goal of introducing 100 books—20 in each issue—that provide readers with authentic views of Japanese society and its people. With the fifth and the final volume of Worth Sharing published in February 2017, the series came to complete. We introduce you to the full library of 100 brilliant books by 100 authors.

The titles recommended in this publication are works that the Japan Foundation would also prioritize for the support program, provided the translations are of adequate quality, and appropriate publication plans are submitted.

We aim for this list to bring together literary works and their authors with translators and publishing companies so that the books can reach overseas readers, thereby planting the seeds for future interactions with Japan.

The Japan Foundation

The following selection committee members chose the titles.
Chō Kyō (Zhang Jin) (professor, Meiji University)
Nozaki Kan (professor, University of Tokyo)
Numano Mitsuyoshi (professor, University of Tokyo)
Ozaki Mariko (editorial board member, Yomiuri Shimbun)
The selection committee members' titles and affiliations refer to the membership period.

Between 1993 and 2016, this newsletter provided overseas publishing companies, editors, and translators access to the latest information on publishing trends and new publications in Japan.

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