TOKYO — Haruki Murakami's novel "The Tale of KAHO" was released in Japan on July 3, 2026. Shinchosha Publishing Co. stated it is the author's first full-length novel featuring a lone female protagonist. Dozens of fans gathered outside a major Tokyo bookstore for a midnight release event.

Murakami characterized the protagonist: "Kaho, a picture book author, is just an average young woman. But truly bizarre things start happening around her." He added, "I wrote this novel as I put myself in her shoes."

Naoyuki Yamano was the first customer to purchase the new novel. "I'm excited about finding out how the story evolves around a female main character," Yamano said. Another customer, Mizuki Shirota, commented on the novel's themes. "The story was written in a way that makes you very aware of lookism, or how I, as a woman, am perceived by men … there were parts that I even felt startled a bit," Shirota said. "So I want to read that again in the book."

The novel originated from a short story titled "Kaho," which Murakami rehearsed at a book reading event at Waseda University in 2024. Mieko Kawakami participated in this event. The short story was subsequently published in the June 2024 edition of Shincho magazine. Murakami released three additional "Kaho" stories in Shincho magazine following the initial publication, with the most recent appearing in the March 2026 edition. The magazine version of the first "Kaho" story has been published in English in The New Yorker.

"The Tale of KAHO" is 352 pages long and is currently available only in Japanese, with no translation plans disclosed. The novel includes four chapters: "Kaho and the Motorcycle Man," "The Anteater of Musashi-sakai," "Kaho and the Termite Queen," and "The Guardian Angel, Elephant Egg and Scarlett Johansson." In the novel, the character Kaho goes on a blind date arranged by her book editor, during which her date tells her, "I've never seen one as ugly as you." Murakami's previous novel, "The City and Its Uncertain Walls," was published three years before "The Tale of KAHO."