October 8, 2025
At a ceremony celebrating contemporary Japanese literature, the President of Venice International University (VIU) highlighted the deep academic and cultural ties between Italy and Japan. Speaking also as President of the Fondazione Italia Giappone, he emphasized how initiatives such as this award embody the same spirit of dialogue and collaboration that guides VIU’s work in Venice, where universities from around the world meet to exchange knowledge and perspectives.
The event honoured Haruki Murakami, one of Japan’s most acclaimed authors and an alumnus of Waseda University in Tokyo, a valued member of the Venice International University consortium. Representing Waseda at the ceremony were Vice President Professor Masahiko Gemma and Professor Maji Rhee, respectively members of the VIU Board of Directors and Academic Council - a strong symbol of the partnership between the two institutions.
Murakami’s writing, with its themes of solitude, identity, and the interplay between reality and imagination, reflects many of the values that define VIU’s international community. His ability to bridge Japanese and Western sensibilities through literature mirrors the VIU's mission to foster understanding across cultures and disciplines. Just as Murakami’s characters journey between worlds in search of meaning, VIU’s global network of scholars and students works together to navigate the complex challenges of our shared world, through curiosity, empathy, and dialogue.
The Tokyo-Rome Prize: Words in Transit (www.italiagiappone.it), now in its fourth year, celebrates contemporary Japanese fiction translated into Italian with recognition for both the author and the translator.
The prize aims to bring the stories, emotions, and nuances of Japanese literature to the Italian public, highlighting the fundamental role of translation as a bridge between cultures.
This year, the prize was awarded to Haruki Murakami (author) and Antonietta Pastore (translator) for the book The City and Its Uncertain Walls (original Japanese edition by Shinchosha, 2023; Italian edition by Einaudi, 2024).
