Latest news with #Kajii
NZ Herald
16 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Asako Yuzuki's novel ‘Butter' captivates global audience with feminist critique of her country
'When the case broke, the Japanese media mainly remembered that the suspect liked to cook and took classes ... to 'please men',' Yuzuki told AFP in an interview. 'That deeply disturbed me.' In Butter, a journalist likewise disquieted by the portrayal of a Kijima-like character (renamed Kajii) writes to the jailed suspect, hoping to secure an exclusive interview by appealing to her gourmet tastes. Via a letter soliciting the beef stew recipe that Kajii reportedly fed her final victim, the pair begin an intimate and life-changing relationship. This proves a vehicle for Yuzuki to chew over the roots of misogyny in Japan, where traditional male and female roles still dominate and women are held to impossible beauty standards. In politics and boardrooms, for example, women remain rare. Japan ranks No 118 out of 146 in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Gender Gap Report. 'Japan is a deeply patriarchal country. Very often, it is the father who occupies the central position within the family unit. This is the basis for laws even,' Yuzuki said. Food – particularly butter, that artery-blocking symbol of pleasure and excess – forms the molten core of the story. Through sumptuous descriptions of butter-rich ramen and lavishly buttered rice, Yuzuki explores the tension between indulging appetites and the self-denial required to fulfil the societal pressure on women to stay thin. 'There is an incredible amount of adverts for weight loss, cosmetic surgery and diets. This country is obsessed with fatphobia,' Yuzuki said. It is also tough for women in Japan, where the #MeToo movement never really took off, to speak out about discrimination and sexual assault. Shiori Ito, a journalist who took the rare step of publicly accusing a prominent Japanese TV reporter of rape – a charge he denies – is a case in point. Ito's documentary Black Box Diaries, which was nominated for an Oscar, was not released in Japan because it used material recorded clandestinely or intended for judicial use only. 'In other countries, especially the United States, from the beginning of #MeToo, many well-known journalists have seriously investigated these cases, and it is because this information was made public officially that the victims were able to be protected,' Yuzuki said. But in Japan, 'women who have had the courage to speak out are reduced to the role of activists and consumed by the media within that framework,' she said. Another example is Masahiro Nakai, a boy band member and a star TV presenter accused of sexual assault. He initially disputed the facts and then apologised. The scandal shone a spotlight on the toxic culture of young women being pressed into attending dinners and drinking parties with powerful figures. 'What strikes me is this uninterrupted chain of sexual violence, and especially that these are crimes committed within one organisation, covered up by another organisation ... that of the media,' Yuzuki said. Yuzuki is convinced that change can only come from outside. 'When foreigners take up a topic, especially the English-language media, it completely changes the way it is perceived in Japan,' she said. 'If the European media' continue to be interested in these issues, then 'the situation could perhaps change a little'. -Agence France-Presse
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
'Butter': the foodie feminist bestseller skewering sexism in Japan
JAPANESE writer Asako Yuzuki did not expect her novel "Butter" to capture a cult following abroad, hailed as a biting feminist critique of sexism and body-shaming. Translated into English last year, the tale of murder and misogyny has whetted an insatiable appetite, selling 610,000 copies overseas, including 400,000 in Britain – more than Japan – where it won multiple awards. Yuzuki was inspired by the real-life story of "Black Widow" Kanae Kijima, a woman sentenced to death in 2012 for poisoning three men she met on dating sites. The sensationalised media coverage at the time largely focused on Kijima's appearance, speculating how someone described as homely and unattractive could be considered a femme fatale. Many credited her romantic success to her homemaking prowess – notably in the kitchen. "When the case broke, the Japanese media mainly remembered that the suspect liked to cook and took classes ... to 'please men'," Yuzuki told AFP in an interview. "That deeply disturbed me." In "Butter", a journalist likewise disquieted by the portrayal of a Kijima-like character (renamed Kajii) writes to the jailed suspect, hoping to secure an exclusive interview by appealing to her gourmet tastes. Via a letter soliciting the beef stew recipe that Kajii reportedly fed her final victim, the pair begin an intimate and life-changing relationship. This proves a vehicle for Yuzuki to chew over the roots of misogyny in Japan, where traditional male and female roles still dominate and women are held to impossible beauty standards. In politics and boardrooms for example, women remain rare. Japan ranks 118 out of 146 in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Gender Gap Report. "Japan is a deeply patriarchal country. Very often, it is the father who occupies the central position within the family unit. This is the basis for laws even," Yuzuki said. Food – particularly butter, that artery-blocking symbol of pleasure and excess – forms the molten core of the story. Through sumptuous descriptions of butter-rich ramen and lavishly buttered rice, Yuzuki explores the tension between indulging appetites and the self-denial required to fulfil the societal pressure on women to stay thin. "There is an incredible amount of adverts for weight loss, cosmetic surgery and diets. This country is obsessed with fatphobia," Yuzuki said. It is also tough for women in Japan, where the #MeToo movement never really took off, to speak out about discrimination and sexual assault. Shiori Ito, a journalist who took the rare step of publicly accusing a prominent Japanese TV reporter of rape – a charge he denies – is a case in point. Ito's documentary "Black Box Diaries", which was nominated for an Oscar, was not released in Japan because it used material recorded clandestinely or intended for judicial use only. "In other countries, especially the United States, from the beginning of #MeToo, many well-known journalists have seriously investigated these cases, and it is because this information was made public officially that the victims were able to be protected," Yuzuki said. But in Japan, "women who have had the courage to speak out are reduced to the role of activists and consumed by the media within that framework," she said. Another example is Masahiro Nakai, a boyband member and a star TV presenter accused of sexual assault. He initially disputed the facts and then apologised. The scandal shone a spotlight on the toxic culture of young women being pressed into attending dinners and drinking parties with powerful figures. "What strikes me is this uninterrupted chain of sexual violence, and especially that these are crimes committed within one organisation, covered up by another organisation... that of the media," Yuzuki said. Yuzuki is convinced that change can only come from outside. "When foreigners take up a topic, especially the English-language media, it completely changes the way it is perceived in Japan," she said. "If the European media" continue to be interested in these issues, then "the situation could perhaps change a little."
News.com.au
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
'Butter': the foodie feminist bestseller skewering sexism in Japan
Japanese writer Asako Yuzuki did not expect her novel "Butter" to capture a cult following abroad, hailed as a biting feminist critique of sexism and body-shaming. Translated into English last year, the tale of murder and misogyny has whetted an insatiable appetite, selling 610,000 copies overseas, including 400,000 in Britain -- more than Japan -- where it won multiple awards. Yuzuki was inspired by the real-life story of "Black Widow" Kanae Kijima, a woman sentenced to death in 2012 for poisoning three men she met on dating sites. The sensationalised media coverage at the time largely focused on Kijima's appearance, speculating how someone described as homely and unattractive could be considered a femme fatale. Many credited her romantic success to her homemaking prowess -- notably in the kitchen. "When the case broke, the Japanese media mainly remembered that the suspect liked to cook and took classes ... to 'please men'," Yuzuki told AFP in an interview. "That deeply disturbed me." In "Butter", a journalist likewise disquieted by the portrayal of a Kijima-like character (renamed Kajii) writes to the jailed suspect, hoping to secure an exclusive interview by appealing to her gourmet tastes. Via a letter soliciting the beef stew recipe that Kajii reportedly fed her final victim, the pair begin an intimate and life-changing relationship. This proves a vehicle for Yuzuki to chew over the roots of misogyny in Japan, where traditional male and female roles still dominate and women are held to impossible beauty standards. In politics and boardrooms for example, women remain rare. Japan ranks 118 out of 146 in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Gender Gap Report. "Japan is a deeply patriarchal country. Very often, it is the father who occupies the central position within the family unit. This is the basis for laws even," Yuzuki said. - 'Fatphobia' - Food -- particularly butter, that artery-blocking symbol of pleasure and excess -- forms the molten core of the story. Through sumptuous descriptions of butter-rich ramen and lavishly buttered rice, Yuzuki explores the tension between indulging appetites and the self-denial required to fulfil the societal pressure on women to stay thin. "There is an incredible amount of adverts for weight loss, cosmetic surgery and diets. This country is obsessed with fatphobia," Yuzuki said. It is also tough for women in Japan, where the #MeToo movement never really took off, to speak out about discrimination and sexual assault. Shiori Ito, a journalist who took the rare step of publicly accusing a prominent Japanese TV reporter of rape -- a charge he denies -- is a case in point. Ito's documentary "Black Box Diaries", which was nominated for an Oscar, was not released in Japan because it used material recorded clandestinely or intended for judicial use only. "In other countries, especially the United States, from the beginning of #MeToo, many well-known journalists have seriously investigated these cases, and it is because this information was made public officially that the victims were able to be protected," Yuzuki said. But in Japan, "women who have had the courage to speak out are reduced to the role of activists and consumed by the media within that framework," she said. Another example is Masahiro Nakai, a boyband member and a star TV presenter accused of sexual assault. He initially disputed the facts and then apologised. The scandal shone a spotlight on the toxic culture of young women being pressed into attending dinners and drinking parties with powerful figures. "What strikes me is this uninterrupted chain of sexual violence, and especially that these are crimes committed within one organisation, covered up by another organisation... that of the media," Yuzuki said. Yuzuki is convinced that change can only come from outside. "When foreigners take up a topic, especially the English-language media, it completely changes the way it is perceived in Japan," she said. "If the European media" continue to be interested in these issues, then "the situation could perhaps change a little."
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
'Butter': The Foodie Feminist Bestseller Skewering Sexism In Japan
Japanese writer Asako Yuzuki did not expect her novel "Butter" to capture a cult following abroad, hailed as a biting feminist critique of sexism and body-shaming. Translated into English last year, the tale of murder and misogyny has whetted an insatiable appetite, selling 610,000 copies overseas, including 400,000 in Britain -- more than Japan -- where it won multiple awards. Yuzuki was inspired by the real-life story of "Black Widow" Kanae Kijima, a woman sentenced to death in 2012 for poisoning three men she met on dating sites. The sensationalised media coverage at the time largely focused on Kijima's appearance, speculating how someone described as homely and unattractive could be considered a femme fatale. Many credited her romantic success to her homemaking prowess -- notably in the kitchen. "When the case broke, the Japanese media mainly remembered that the suspect liked to cook and took classes ... to 'please men'," Yuzuki told AFP in an interview. "That deeply disturbed me." In "Butter", a journalist likewise disquieted by the portrayal of a Kijima-like character (renamed Kajii) writes to the jailed suspect, hoping to secure an exclusive interview by appealing to her gourmet tastes. Via a letter soliciting the beef stew recipe that Kajii reportedly fed her final victim, the pair begin an intimate and life-changing relationship. This proves a vehicle for Yuzuki to chew over the roots of misogyny in Japan, where traditional male and female roles still dominate and women are held to impossible beauty standards. In politics and boardrooms for example, women remain rare. Japan ranks 118 out of 146 in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Gender Gap Report. "Japan is a deeply patriarchal country. Very often, it is the father who occupies the central position within the family unit. This is the basis for laws even," Yuzuki said. Food -- particularly butter, that artery-blocking symbol of pleasure and excess -- forms the molten core of the story. Through sumptuous descriptions of butter-rich ramen and lavishly buttered rice, Yuzuki explores the tension between indulging appetites and the self-denial required to fulfil the societal pressure on women to stay thin. "There is an incredible amount of adverts for weight loss, cosmetic surgery and diets. This country is obsessed with fatphobia," Yuzuki said. It is also tough for women in Japan, where the #MeToo movement never really took off, to speak out about discrimination and sexual assault. Shiori Ito, a journalist who took the rare step of publicly accusing a prominent Japanese TV reporter of rape -- a charge he denies -- is a case in point. Ito's documentary "Black Box Diaries", which was nominated for an Oscar, was not released in Japan because it used material recorded clandestinely or intended for judicial use only. "In other countries, especially the United States, from the beginning of #MeToo, many well-known journalists have seriously investigated these cases, and it is because this information was made public officially that the victims were able to be protected," Yuzuki said. But in Japan, "women who have had the courage to speak out are reduced to the role of activists and consumed by the media within that framework," she said. Another example is Masahiro Nakai, a boyband member and a star TV presenter accused of sexual assault. He initially disputed the facts and then apologised. The scandal shone a spotlight on the toxic culture of young women being pressed into attending dinners and drinking parties with powerful figures. "What strikes me is this uninterrupted chain of sexual violence, and especially that these are crimes committed within one organisation, covered up by another organisation... that of the media," Yuzuki said. Yuzuki is convinced that change can only come from outside. "When foreigners take up a topic, especially the English-language media, it completely changes the way it is perceived in Japan," she said. "If the European media" continue to be interested in these issues, then "the situation could perhaps change a little." Asako Yuzuki's tale of murder and misogyny has whetted an insatiable appetite, selling 610,000 copies overseas, including 400,000 in Britain, where it won multiple awards AFP Asako Yuzuki's novel 'Butter' has been hailed as a biting feminist critique of sexism and body-shaming AFP
The Age
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
How a Japanese book about a woman who murders her lovers became a global phenomenon
Butter is based on the real-life 2012 case of the 'Konkatsu Killer' Kanae Kijima, a con woman and talented home cook, who was convicted of poisoning three of her male lovers. The novel, however, is less fixated on the true crime aspects of the story, and instead focuses on the response Kajii, a woman described as 'neither young nor beautiful', provokes in the media. 'I wasn't interested in the mechanical aspects of the crime and how it came about; what I wanted to tackle was how the Japanese media responded to the sensational nature of the story and how it ran with it,' Yuzuki says. 'The way the Japanese media behaves casts an intense shadow on how we as Japanese people are, and that's the bit that I wanted to write about, how society views women who don't conform to norms around beauty, appetite and ambition.' In Butter, Kajii is one of those women. Her confidence proves fascinating to Rika ('There is nothing in this world so moronic, so pathetic, so meaningless as dieting,' she explains during one of their jailhouse meetings) while she is also shown to be the subject of ridicule, much like the real Konkatsu killer. 'I bet Kajii eats an absolute ton! That's why she's that huge!' laughs the husband of Rika's best friend, Reiko. This ability to hold a mirror to Japanese society has proved to be a double-edged sword for Yuzuki. While the Tokyo-born author is not new to the literary world (she has been nominated for the prestigious Naoki Prize several times, including for Butter), her recent international success far outstrips the reception to her work domestically. Loading 'Butter wasn't received overwhelmingly positively in Japan, so I'm really surprised that it's been received quite well overseas,' Yuzuki says. 'I never hear from my Japanese readers, but my email inbox is full of people from everywhere else in the world writing to me about the book.' Quite well is an understatement. Eight years after its publication in Japan, Butter is Yuzuki's first work translated into English and promptly became a bestseller, selling more than 280,000 copies in the UK alone and was named Waterstones Book of the Year. 'I do find myself wondering if this has ever happened in the history of Japanese literature,' she says. 'Where someone's critical reception has been so different in Japan compared to the rest of the world.' The success of Butter coincides with a surge of interest in female writers in Japan. For years, male authors such as Haruki Murakami and Keigo Higashino were the face of Japanese literature, but recently the spotlight has shifted, with Mieko Kawakami's Breasts and Eggs, Sayaka Murata's Convenience Store Woman and Hiromi Kawakami's Under The Eye of the Big Bird gaining global attention. 'What's interesting to me is that the Japanese females in these books are often in difficult positions, they're oppressed, and that evokes a lot of sympathy in the West,' says Yuzuki. 'So when English people read this book, they are struck by the daily struggles of these characters, at the same time, people's interest in Japan has grown, so you're seeing this explosion outwards.' As part of this explosion outwards, Yuzuki will soon travel to Australia for the Sydney and Melbourne writers' festivals. Despite the obvious upsides of international recognition – festivals, prestigious awards, bumper pre-sales – Yuzuki, currently working on her next book, admits the experience of Butter looms large. 'Obviously, I care about how my work is received in my native country; it means a lot, and [after Butter ] it feels like the pressure is even more intense,' she explains. 'At the moment, the critical gap is so large that it's giving me a lot to think about.'
