Sakyo Komatsu's Innovations in Japanese Science Fiction Literature - Tokyo, Osaka, 1960s-1970s

Sakyo Komatsu's Innovations in Japanese Science Fiction Literature - Tokyo, Osaka, 1960s-1970s

Sakyo Komatsu (1926-2011) was a writer who laid the foundation of Japanese science fiction literature from the 1960s to the 1970s. At the time, Japan was experiencing a period of rapid economic growth, and while technological innovations such as the Tokyo Olympics (1964) and the opening of the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train line were advancing, environmental destruction and pollution problems were becoming more serious. The Sinking of Japan (1973) depicted the destruction of Tokyo and Osaka by earthquake and tsunami, and pointed out the fragility of society. The Day of Resurrection" (1964) was a scientific examination of the Hokkaido virus disaster. He was a leader in the world of science fiction, along with Hoshi Shinichi and Fukushima Masami, and his works reflect the challenges of reality and warnings for the future. His depiction of the crisis lurking behind economic development had a profound impact on Japanese culture through literature.