Haruki Murakami's 16th Novel, 'The Tale of KAHO,' First in 3 Years, to be Published! Releasing Friday, July 3, 2026
Shinchosha will release Haruki Murakami's new novel, 'The Tale of KAHO', on July 3, 2026. This marks his first novel in three years and notably features a solo female protagonist for the first time in his long-form works.
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Shinchosha Co., Ltd. will release 'The Tale of KAHO,' the latest novel by Haruki Murakami and his first in three years since 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' published in April 2023. The book will go on sale simultaneously in print and electronic formats on Friday, July 3, 2026. The print edition will be a single volume of 352 pages, equivalent to 650 sheets of manuscript paper.
(Teaser Image / Differs from the actual book cover)
'Honestly, this is the first time I've ever dealt with someone as ugly as you.'
Kaho, a 26-year-old picture book author, is suddenly told this by a man she meets for the first time.
Neither exceptionally beautiful nor particularly clever, but just a little overly curious, she is purely surprised rather than angry or shocked.
—Just what is this man trying to tell me?
But from then on, a variety of truly strange events begin to happen around her.
This book is a revised and expanded version of the 'Kaho' series, which was published in four parts from the June 2024 issue to the March 2026 issue of Shinchosha's monthly magazine 'Shincho'. For the first time in a Haruki Murakami novel, it is published as a story where a solo female protagonist takes the lead.
■ Author Profile
Haruki Murakami
Born in Kyoto in 1949. Graduated from Waseda University, First School of Literature. Debuted in 1979 with 'Hear the Wind Sing' (Gunzo Prize for New Writers). Major novels include 'A Wild Sheep Chase' (Noma Literary Prize for New Writers), 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World' (Tanizaki Junichiro Prize), 'Norwegian Wood,' 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle' (Yomiuri Literary Prize), 'Sputnik Sweetheart,' 'Kafka on the Shore,' 'After Dark,' '1Q84' (Mainichi Publishing Culture Award), 'Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage,' 'Killing Commendatore,' and 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls'. He is also the author of numerous short story collections such as 'Firefly, Barn Burning, and Other Stories,' 'After the Quake,' and 'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman,' as well as essays and translated works. He received the Franz Kafka Prize and the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award in 2006, the Jerusalem Prize in 2009, the immense Premi Internacional Catalunya in 2011, the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award in 2016, the Prix Mondial Cino Del Duca in 2022, and the Princess of Asturias Award for Literature in 2023.
Special Site: https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/special/kaho/
Haruki Murakami Shinchosha Official Site: https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/harukimurakami/
■ Book Data
[Title] The Tale of KAHO
[Author] Haruki Murakami
[Release Date] July 3, 2026
[Format] Thick cover with rounded spine
[Price] 2,860 yen (tax included)
[ISBN] 978-4-10-353440-2
[URL] https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/special/kaho/
(Teaser Image / Differs from the actual book cover)
'Honestly, this is the first time I've ever dealt with someone as ugly as you.'
Kaho, a 26-year-old picture book author, is suddenly told this by a man she meets for the first time.
Neither exceptionally beautiful nor particularly clever, but just a little overly curious, she is purely surprised rather than angry or shocked.
—Just what is this man trying to tell me?
But from then on, a variety of truly strange events begin to happen around her.
This book is a revised and expanded version of the 'Kaho' series, which was published in four parts from the June 2024 issue to the March 2026 issue of Shinchosha's monthly magazine 'Shincho'. For the first time in a Haruki Murakami novel, it is published as a story where a solo female protagonist takes the lead.
■ Author Profile
Haruki Murakami
Born in Kyoto in 1949. Graduated from Waseda University, First School of Literature. Debuted in 1979 with 'Hear the Wind Sing' (Gunzo Prize for New Writers). Major novels include 'A Wild Sheep Chase' (Noma Literary Prize for New Writers), 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World' (Tanizaki Junichiro Prize), 'Norwegian Wood,' 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle' (Yomiuri Literary Prize), 'Sputnik Sweetheart,' 'Kafka on the Shore,' 'After Dark,' '1Q84' (Mainichi Publishing Culture Award), 'Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage,' 'Killing Commendatore,' and 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls'. He is also the author of numerous short story collections such as 'Firefly, Barn Burning, and Other Stories,' 'After the Quake,' and 'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman,' as well as essays and translated works. He received the Franz Kafka Prize and the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award in 2006, the Jerusalem Prize in 2009, the immense Premi Internacional Catalunya in 2011, the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award in 2016, the Prix Mondial Cino Del Duca in 2022, and the Princess of Asturias Award for Literature in 2023.
Special Site: https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/special/kaho/
Haruki Murakami Shinchosha Official Site: https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/harukimurakami/
■ Book Data
[Title] The Tale of KAHO
[Author] Haruki Murakami
[Release Date] July 3, 2026
[Format] Thick cover with rounded spine
[Price] 2,860 yen (tax included)
[ISBN] 978-4-10-353440-2
[URL] https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/special/kaho/