YOMIURI PRIZE FOR LITERATURE

   The Yomiuri Prize for Literature (Yomiuri bungaku sho) was first awarded by the Yomiuri newspaper in 1948 with the aim of building a “cultural nation.” The prizes were initially offered for four categories: novels, poetry, scholarly studies, and literary criticism. Since then, awards for theater, travel writing, criticism, biography, and translation have been added to the prize categories. Winners receive a commemorative ink stone and a cash award of one million yen. Famous recipients for fiction include Abe Kobo, Murakami Haruki, and Ooka Shohei.