A hot topic that has won three Taiwanese literary awards! “Subway Station,” a story about people struggling in life and their lives and deaths, by He Zhihe, a leading author of contemporary Taiwanese literature, has finally arrived in Japan. On sal

[The hotly anticipated work that won three Taiwanese literary awards!] “Subway Station,” a story about people struggling in life and their lives and deaths, by He Zhihe, a leading author of contemporary Taiwanese literature, finally arrives in Japan. On sale October 28th! ​
Kawade Shobo Shinsha Press release: October 28, 2025 To Members of the Press [The much talked about work that won three Taiwanese literary awards!] “Subway Station,” a story about people struggling in life and their lives and deaths, by He Zhihe, a leading author of contemporary Taiwanese literature, has finally arrived in Japan. On sale October 28th! The story is told from multiple perspectives, including the protagonist, a subway employee, and those who commit suicide. A masterpiece of socially conscious fiction that has garnered a great response!
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Kawade Shobo Shinsha Co., Ltd. (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo / Representative Director: Onodera Masaru) will release the novel “Subway Station” by Taiwanese author He Zhi-he on October 28, 2025. The novel “Subway Station” is set in a Taipei subway station and depicts the lives and deaths of people struggling in life from the perspective of a subway employee. The protagonist of this book is a railway employee, Yo Ikuan, who is tasked with a subway suicide prevention project. Yo Ikuan is 45 years old and lives with his teenage daughter and elderly mother who suffers from dementia. Ikuan, who is indecisive and passive about everything, finds himself confronted by people on the subway platform who are about to take their own lives (each chapter begins with a story from the perspective of the suicide victim). A salaryman who embezzled company funds, a middle school student who exposed her broken heart on social media, an elderly person suffering from a chronic illness, a woman who was envied by those around her but had lost the will to live… Ikuyasu, who was appointed leader of a suicide prevention project, tries to make progress by playing soothing music in the station and putting up educational posters, but he can’t stop people from jumping off the platform with their own two feet. This is the first Japanese translation by a storyteller whose works, such as Song Won-pyung’s “Almond” and Han Kang’s “Recovering Man,” depict the distortions and oppressions of modern society. Author He Chi-hwa has said that this book was inspired by the high number of personal injury accidents he witnessed every time he visited Japan, and there are references to the situation in Japan throughout the text. It’s so difficult to hold on to life. And yet, the warmth of the homeless who find themselves in the midst of a crowd, living their daily lives, eventually warms strangers. This story offers even a small measure of strength to all those living with intractable problems, and to those who look toward tomorrow. Please look forward to the release of the full-length novel “Subway Station” by He Zhihe, a leading author of contemporary Taiwanese literature! ●Message from Author He Chihwa
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1075/12754-1075-d9252810001a07cce876f888366807ea-240×300.jpg At work, we have to solve other people’s problems. But how do we solve our own? This was the starting point for my writing. My friends of my generation are all going through an awkward and difficult time, facing the dual pressures of aging parents and growing children. It’s very similar to the situation I describe in this novel. Everyone is practically on the brink of collapse. The question I wanted to ask in this book is not, “Why do people with suicidal thoughts commit such acts?” but, “Why don’t we choose to commit suicide?” (From the interview) ●A hotly-anticipated book that has won numerous major literary awards, including the Taiwan Literature Award Golden Prize! This book won the following awards in 2022 when it was published, and attracted widespread attention. ・35th Taiwan Literature Award Golden Prize (Hosted by the National Museum of Taiwan Literature. A prestigious award given annually to outstanding Taiwanese literary works) ・2022 King Stone Books Top Ten Influential Books (Awarded to outstanding books that have exerted influence that year, selected by King Stone Books, a major Taiwanese bookstore chain) ・2022 Eslite Bookshop Grand Prize (A literary award sponsored by Eslite Bookstore, a cultural complex in Taiwan. Selected by booksellers as their top sellers.) 35th Taiwan Literature Award, Golden Prize Comments from Selection Committee Member Ling Xingjie (Poet and Writer) “He Zhihe meticulously portrays the state of mind of a middle-aged man, connecting public transportation with the pulse of the times, and expressing various fluidities through the lives intersected by the subway. This sense of fluidity, combined with the polyphonic narration and shifting perspectives of the narrators, creates a multilayered and highly engaging work.” The subway, a modern form of transportation, carries the existential anxieties of individuals while also supporting departures and returns. What is most captivating about this book is the narrative, which seems to be calmly observing, yet harbors a gentle desire to “understand.” ” ●“Subway Station” Table of Contents Chapter 1: Shoes Left on the Railroad Tracks Panic / Sudden Mission / Unknown Son / Second-Best Option / Paranoia Chapter 2: The Perfect Parabola Wanting to return / Recovery / Tattoo / Wife’s parents’ house / Countermeasures / Counselor / Music therapy Chapter 3: Right Face Notice / The sea / Complaint / Concert / Encounter / Nightmare Chapter 4: The Temptation of the Mirror Foreign Helper / Rumor / Wishes / Best Time to See / Mistakes / Suggestions Chapter 5: Everyone’s Sick Salvation / Incentive / Chaos / Blank Slate Chapter 6: Towards a Wonderful World Subway Station / Departure Afterword Light at the End Commentary The Symbolic Space of the Subway Station – Toshihiko Matsumoto (Psychiatrist and Author)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1075/12754-1075-d83c3474afb533390562aa6fc2ed2e0a-1400×1029.jpg Chapter 1: Shoes Left on the Tracks – Opening of “Panic” ●About the Author He Zhihe (Ka Chiwa / He Zhihe) Born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1967. Novelist and translator. Graduated from the Department of English Literature at Chinese Culture University and completed a master’s degree at the Institute of Creative Writing and English Literature, National Dong Hwa University Graduate School. After working as an editor at a publishing company, he began his creative career. His works include the novels “The Tree House in the Red Light District” and “The Melancholy of White City,” and the short story collection “That Night of Lost Night.” He has received numerous awards, including the United Daily News Literature Award, the Treasure Island Novel Award, and the Ministry of Education’s Creative Writing Award. Translator: Oikawa Akane (Oikawa Akane) Born in Chiba Prefecture in 1981. Specializes in Chinese-speaking literature. His translations include He Shufang’s “Amina,” Wu Mingyi’s “Rainy Island,” Kujira Xianghai’s “A Dream: A Collection of Poems by Kujira Xianghai,” and Tang Zhuan’s “Someone Was Thrown Out of the House: A Collection of Poems by Tang Zhuan.” ●New publication information
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1075/12754-1075-62ea15bfc0707432ff5c66a9a12c48c9-746×1100.jpg Book title: Subway station author: He Zhihe Specifications: 46-size / Paperback / 448 pages Release date: October 27, 2025 Price including tax: ¥3,080 (¥2,800 excluding tax) ISBN: 978-4-309- 20934-0 Book design: Shinichiro Okura Book illustration: Kensuke Okano URL: https://www.kawade.co.jp/np/isbn/9784309209340/