A workshop on Japanese literature was held in Ho Chi Minh City on September 25 to mark Japan-Mekong Exchange Year-2009.

Prof Mitsuyoshi Numano from Japan’s Tokyo University gave a general presentation of the Japanese literature up to the 21st century.

He focused on four key highlights of his country’s literature, namely its long-term and consistent history, foreign influences, the national climate, with four distinct seasons, and its poetry.

He also talked about Japanese contemporary writers and poets famous among Vietnamese readers such as Soseki Natsume and Haruki Murakami.

Also on hand were famous Vietnamese writers such as Nguyen Ngoc and Nhat Chieu. They discussed measures to bring Vietnamese literature to the Japanese audience and vice versa so as to increase mutual understanding between the two peoples./.