Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2016)
ASIA / PACIFIC Page 16 n THE ASIAN REPORTER Murakami’s new novel set for release in Japan in February Rowing, canoe sprint, swimming to remain at Tokyo venues Continued from page 2 Forest site,” Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said. Koike proposed using the Naganuma boat facility, which she had considered as an option, as a training facility ahead of the Tokyo Games. Koike had pushed for the Naganuma facility, which is in the area still recovering from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, as a symbol of reconstruction, which she says gives significance to holding the Olympics in Japan in 2020. A new swimming facility at its planned location, Tatsumi in eastern Tokyo, will have seating capacity reduced from 20,000 to 15,000, saving $125 million. Koike, however, said she still needs time to decide whether to move indoor volleyball to Yokohama Arena instead of building a new arena in Tokyo’s coastal Ariake district. She said the estimated 40 billion yen ($360 million) cost of the Tokyo venue is “still very high,” promising a decision by Christmas — a delay the group accepted. At the four-party talks, Tokyo organizing commit- tee CEO Toshiro Muto proposed putting a 2 trillion yen ($18 billion) cap on the total Olympic cost, whose estimate has yet to be released. IOC vice president John Coates, who heads the in- ternational body’s coordi- nation commission for Tokyo, said the ceiling was too high and he was still not satisfied with the number. “The IOC has not agreed to that amount of money,” Coates told reporters after the meeting. “We believe the cost can be significantly lower than that,” Coates said, citing “high figures” on the rent. “We can make some savings on those figures.” Cost estimates at a number of venues have surged since Tokyo was awarded the games in 2013, in part due to rising construction costs related to disaster reconstruction. Koike repeatedly cited the IOC’s “Agenda 2020” reforms that seek sus- tainable Olympics and en- courage the use of existing venues, not just in Japan but universally, saying her effort is fully in line with them. Concerns over costs have discouraged some cities from bidding. December 5, 2016 By Mari Yamaguchi The Associated Press OKYO — Haruki Murakami’s new novel is set for release in Japan in February, and that’s about as much as his fans are being told. Publisher Shinchosha Publishing Co. made the announcement November 30. The book’s title, theme, and exact date of release remain a mystery. The publisher showed two blank white books on its website with the message, “Haruki Murakami’s new novel coming soon in February 2017.” Murakami’s longer novels have been released in multiple short volumes in Japanese. A very strange story. That’s how Murakami himself described the upcoming novel at an event in Denmark, where he recently travelled to receive the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award. There was no indication of when the new novel might be available outside of Japan. Murakami, 67, usually shies away from the limelight, although he has spoken out on issues such as world peace and nuclear energy. He began writing while running a jazz bar in Tokyo after finishing college. His 1987 romantic novel Norwegian Wood was his first best-seller, establishing him as a young literary star. Murakami’s most recent novel is Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, which was released in Japan in 2013. A collection of short stories, Men Without Women, was published in 2014. His million-seller 1Q84 in 2009 was one of his longest novels, with the Japanese edition totalling three volumes. Japanese author Haruki Murakami, left, is honored with the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Prize by Crown Princess Mary during a presentation ceremony on October 30, 2016, at Odense Town Hall in Denmark. Previous winners of the literature prize include names such as Salman Rushdie, Isabel Allende, JK Rowling, and Paulo Coelho. Murakami recently announced his new novel is set for release in Japan in February, and that’s about as much as his fans are being told. (Melissa Hjerrild/Polfoto via AP, File) T Go where you want, when you want. Open a Banner Bank Connected Checking account and use any ATM in the country, with no fees. Think of it as your freedom to explore. Let’s create tomorrow, together. Un l im it ed su r c h ar ge r eb at es f r o m n o n - Ban n er o w n ed ATMs. Member FDIC
