The Japan Foundation has compiled a booklet titled Worth Sharing―A Selection of Japanese Books Recommended for Translation as "the list of recommendable good books for translation" in order to give people overseas a better understanding of contemporary Japan and to help spread the word in Japan about these brilliant books that depict what the nation is like now, providing readers with authentic views of Japanese society and its people.

In Worth Sharing Vol. 2, we introduce 18 works of contemporary fiction and 2 works of nonfiction that depict various landscapes in Japan around the theme of regions and localities. There still are not very many opportunities for people overseas to be exposed to Japan's regions, which have been shaped by different natural climates and histories. We cannot cover all of the country, but through these titles, we hope to provide a feel for some of Japan's diverse landscapes and the lifestyles and cultures of the people who live there.

Worth Sharing selects titles that are not very familiar to overseas readers but that we feel are worth sharing as exemplary works of Japan. The titles recommended in this publication are works that the Japan Foundation would also prioritize for its own Support Program for Translation and Publication on Japan, provided the translations are of adequate quality and appropriate publication plans are submitted. We aim for this publication 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 following selection committee members chose the titles for inclusion. (Japanese syllabary order/honorific titles are omitted)

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