Ryu Murakami Dies: Japanese Author & Filmmaker, Best Known For ‘Almost Transparent Blue’, Was 74

Japanese author and filmmaker Ryu Murakami has died at 74. His publisher said he died at home on 17 October, with a private family funeral; the news marks the loss of a major literary figure whose debut became a landmark bestseller.

Murakami published *Almost Transparent Blue* in 1976 while at university, winning the Gunzo New Writers’ Award and Akutagawa Prize; it sold more than 3.5 million copies. His other works included *Coin Locker Babies* and *In the Miso Soup*, and he wrote and directed films including *Tokyo Decadence* and *Kyoko*. He also interviewed guests on TV Tokyo’s long-running business programme *Cambrian Palace*.