Prize-Winning Japanese Author Shizuka Ijuin Dies at 73

Jiji Press

10:39 JST, November 25, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japanese prize-winning author Shizuka Ijuin died Friday. He was 73.

Ijuin, whose real name was Tadaki Nishiyama, announced last month that he was suffering intrahepatic bile duct cancer.

A native of Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Ijuin won the prestigious Naoki Prize for his novel “Ukezuki” in 1992 after working as a commercial video director.

Ijuin, who was also known as a lyric writer, married Masako Natsume in 1984 before the actress died of leukemia the following year. He married actress Hiroko Shino in 1992.