Stand-In Companion, by the award-winning Japanese author Kazufumi Shiraishi, explores the struggle to find love, companionship and meaning in life. In any society, relationship dynamics are complex. And as Hayato, a Japanese industrial designer will discover in this clever and absorbing tale, this is even the case in a future world enriched by technology, AI and androids. A love story with a twist, Stand-In Companion is a touching and powerful exploration of infertility and relationships. Hayato and his wife, Yutori, face deeply human challenges in a world where science has solved almost every problem. A clever, absorbing and profoundly modern tale from one of Japan’s best and most insightful storytellers. Red Circle Original, Short and Compelling Reads Stand-In Companio n is part of Red Circle Minis, a series of short captivating books by Japan’s finest contemporary writers that brings the narratives and voices of Japan together as never before. Each book is a first edition written specifically for the series and is being published in English first.

This thought-provoking and intriguing tale, by the Akutagawa Prize-nominated master short story writer Kanji Hanawa, revolves around the extraordinary real story of the seven-year-old boy who went missing in the bear-inhabited forests of northern Japan for six whole days in 2016, after his parents had apparently abandoned him as a punishment. In Backlight, a child is left alone at the side of a road in the mountains of Hokkaido in northern Japan by his parents. When they return moments later, the boy is gone. Ishida, a Professor of Psychology is enlisted as part of the search team. As days pass, the search goes on and the number of people involved reaches more than one thousand. Ishida and his colleagues assess, analyse and discuss mostly at a safe and comfortable distance, taking them on their own journey from theories concerning the whereabouts of the child, to the very heart of the Japanese psyche. A complex and challenging look at an unfolding emergency, a culture and a country. Red Circle Minis: Original, Short and Compelling Reads Backlight is part of Red Circle Minis, a series of short captivating books by Japan's finest contemporary writers that brings the narratives and voices of Japan together as never before. Each book is a first edition written specifically for the series and is being published in English first.

Tokyo Performance is set in the pre-internet age, brilliantly captures the zeitgeist of Japan at the time. In this riveting, entertaining and wholly poignant tale, a Japanese celebrity receives a phone call while live on air that will change his life forever. Nori, a high profile Tokyo-based celebrity chef with his own weekly television show, is famous and beloved and he knows it - but he's about to put in his strangest performance. Award-winning writer, playwright and film director, Roger Pulvers, brings his love and deep fascination for Japanese culture to Tokyo Performance, a funny and, at times, tragic story, which explores the cost of fame. Red Circle Original, Short and Compelling Reads Tokyo Performance is part of Red Circle Minis, a series of short captivating books by Japan's finest contemporary writers that brings the narratives and voices of Japan together as never before. Each book is a first edition written specifically for the series and is being published in English first.

In a society rife with conflict and a world on the edge of extinction, who should we turn to for answers: society's strongest or weakest? This is the question Takuji Ichikawa, one of Japan's most imaginative and unusual authors, poses in The Refugees' Daughter, a magical modern parable for our troubled times. Through this terrifying and dreamlike dystopia, a young girl is amongst those fleeing their homes and seeking safety. From Ichikawa, a Japanese author whose books sell in the millions, comes a thought provoking piece which addresses themes of humanity, responsibility and the need to have a place to call home. Exploring power, patriarchy, strength and freedom, this vision of a frighteningly familiar world asks vital questions. Translated by Emily Balistrieri, The Refugees' Daughter is a powerful, poignant and utterly relevant tale that will resound in the minds of everyone who has ever searched for hope. Red Circle Minis: Original, Short and Compelling Reads The Refugees' Daughter is part of Red Circle Minis, a series of short captivating books by Japan's finest contemporary writers that brings the narratives and voices of Japan together as never before. Each book is a first edition written specifically for the series and is being published in English first.

A Japanese tale - not about daring ninja or battling samurai - but a hero with a very different penchant. Based on an actual historical figure, the Akutagawa-nominated master short story writer, Kanji Hanawa, takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery, as Lord Asunaro inherits his own Japanese fiefdom and grapples with his role and ultimate legacy. Hanawa provides us with an unusual and entertaining perspective on the psychology of change within Japan when it was still ruled by its men of steel, samurai and shoguns. As Japan emerges from the conflict-ridden era dominated by infamous warlords into a golden age of plenty, a young lord - heir to a vast domain and incumbent ruler of all he surveys - lives deep within a spiralling castle. From the pen of Hanawa, this cleverly spun tale features our young Lord Asunaro, a 'warlord' who doesn't fit the brave samurai stereotype, as he faces a modernising world where learning now outvalues military prowess. Carrying the legacy of his bloodline, he is compelled to find his place among the great figures of his ancestors. Hanawa's charming story, The Chronicles of Lord Asunaro is translated by Meredith McKinney, and takes the reader back to life and leadership in feudal Japan - while also exploring universal themes of legacy, inheritance, expectations, the weight of history and the psychology of change. Red Circle Minis: Original, Short and Compelling Reads The Chronicle of Lord Asunaro is part of Red Circle Minis, a series of short captivating books by Japan's finest contemporary writers that brings the narratives and voices of Japan together as never before. Each book is a first edition written specifically for the series and is being published in English first.

A love story that explores the mechanics of the heart and humankind's inevitable evolution. One Love Chigusa by Soji Shimada, one of Japan's most famous authors, is a tale of obsessive love in a world where technology has crept into the very heart of humanity. The year is 2091 AD. A horrendous motorcycle accident leaves Xie Hoyu coming to terms with his new cybernetic body. Reconstructed from the latest biomechanical prosthetics, he is discharged from hospital and tries to return to his life as an illustrator after many weeks in recovery. While surgery saves his life, existence for Xie has lost all meaning. His saviour comes in the form of a girl with whom Xie falls hopelessly in love. But not all is as it seems. Translated by Sir David Warren, a retired diplomat and former British ambassador to Japan, One Love Chigusa offers a glimpse into a possible future and questions the purpose of humanity in a manner that only Japan's master of the postmodern whodunnit can do. Red Circle Minis: Original, Short and Compelling Reads One Love Chigusa is part of Red Circle Minis, a series of short captivating books by Japan's finest contemporary writers that brings the narratives and voices of Japan together as never before. Each book is a first edition written specifically for the series and is being published in English first.