Following the Enthusiasm for the Film "Kokuhō," Shuichi Yoshida Depicts "Purity." His 30th Anniversary Work 'Time After Time' to be Released on May 27

Gentosha Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) will release the full-length novel 'Time After Time' (by Shuichi Yoshida) on May 27, 2026.

The author, Shuichi Yoshida, is the original author of the film "Kokuhō," which became the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film of all time. The film garnered significant attention, being nominated for the Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards in 2026, a first for a Japanese film, and winning 10 awards at the Japan Academy Film Prize in the same year.

'Time After Time' is Mr. Yoshida's first new full-length novel since the release of the film "Kokuhō," and his first new work in approximately two and a half years.

It is a "30th Anniversary Work" marking the beginning of his 30th year as a writer since his debut in May 1997.

This work is an expanded and revised version of a series that ran in the morning edition of the Nikkei Shimbun for approximately one year, from April 1, 2025, to April 9, 2026. It is a full-length novel woven in parallel with the social phenomenon that the film "Kokuhō" became after its release on June 6, 2025.

The story follows an earnest first love that began in the summer of their third year of high school, and their reunion over two decades later. Traversing Nagasaki and Tokyo, past and present, it depicts lost time, lingering memories, and the power to affirm life once again.

Hugging the past, living desperately in the present, and walking towards the future beyond.

'Time After Time' is a story celebrating life, where author Shuichi Yoshida once again confronts "purity."

Singer-songwriter Yumi Matsutoya and author Hitomi Kanehara have provided endorsement comments for the book's obi.

Yumi Matsutoya (Singer-songwriter)

"I was drawn in by the high-resolution characters and vivid scene descriptions,
and the memories of a love, still vibrant no matter how distant, resurfaced."

Hitomi Kanehara (Author)

"I finished reading it with a fear that if I cried this much, my life would surely change."

Furthermore, the author commented on the publication as follows:

Shuichi Yoshida

"I wanted to confront something pure.
I wanted to see if my heart would still move properly when faced with something dazzlingly pure.
'Time After Time' is a novel filled with my own kind of purity."

Following the fervor for 'Kokuhō,' Shuichi Yoshida's new, deeply moving full-length novel 'Time After Time' is scheduled for release on May 27.
Pre-orders are currently being accepted at bookstores nationwide and online bookstores.

Synopsis

So Ozaki, who works for a construction company, reunites with Ai Kuon, a former high school classmate, in a torrential downpour.

The two begin to communicate again as project managers for the same project, but the plan takes a dark turn due to allegations of design plagiarism by an architect. Furthermore, a scandal looms over Ozaki's family, and Kuon also carries an unhealed emotional wound.
Their wavering hearts are eventually drawn back to a summer over twenty years ago.

"I made an irreparable mistake. But I never left the side of the person I cherished."
That time when they rejoiced under the bright blue sea and sky, and now, unable to look back at that brilliance—a grand work that embraces and warms all the pain, regret, and kindness, traversing Tokyo and Nagasaki, present and past.

Author Profile

Photo by Masashi Nagao

Shuichi Yoshida

Born in Nagasaki Prefecture in 1968. Graduated from Hosei University, Faculty of Business Administration. Debuted in 1997 with "Saigo no Musuko" (The Last Son), which won the Bungakukai Newcomer's Award and was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize. In 2002, he won the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize for 'Parade' and the Akutagawa Prize for 'Park Life.' In 2007, he received the Ōe Kenzaburō Prize and the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award for 'Akunin' (Villain). In 2010, the Shibata Renzaburō Prize for 'Yokomichi Yonosuke.' In 2019, the Geijutsu Senshō MEXT Minister's Award and the Chūō Kōron Bungei Prize for 'Kokuhō.' In 2022, the Shimase Ren'ai Bungaku Prize for 'Miss Sunshine.' In 2025, he received the Noma Publishing Culture Award in connection with the film "Kokuhō." His numerous other works include 'Ikari' (Rage) and 'Taiyō wa Ugokanai' (The Sun Does Not Move).

Book Information

Author: Shuichi Yoshida

Price: 2,420 yen (tax included)

Format: B6 modified / 536 pages

ISBN: 978-4344045842

Publisher: Gentosha

Release Date: May 27, 2026

Related URLs

Book details page (under construction): http://www.gentosha.co.jp/s/tat/

Official X account: @TATv20260527

Amazon: https://amazon.co.jp/dp/434404584X/

Rakuten Books: https://books.rakuten.co.jp/rb/18603273/