Conversation: Shinichi Hoshi and the World of "Science-Based Literature" Motoko Arai × Akira Kagami

The winners of the Nikkei "Seiichi Hoshi Award" (sponsored by Nikkei Inc.), Japan's first "science-based literature" prize established last year, were announced on March 13. Science-based literature promises to make a significant impact not only on the literary world but on Japanese society as a whole. Two individuals deeply involved in the award's creation and the selection of the winning works discussed the hidden power and potential of the "science-based" approach.

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Its appeal lies in its meticulous logic and universal appeal that captures the hearts of a wide range of generations.

Kagami: I remember meeting Shinichi Hoshi with great nervousness when I joined the SF Writers' Club as a student. For you, Mr. Arai, it started when you were highly praised by Mr. Hoshi, who was a judge for the new writer's award in the SF magazine Kisōtengai, right? You were still in your second year of high school at the time.

Arai: It ended up being an honorable mention, but Mr. Hoshi gave me my debut as a writer and was incredibly supportive.

Kagami: I think that's what's so amazing about Mr. Hoshi – he made middle schoolers feel that way. His writing is accessible, yet incredibly profound. While Mr. Shinichi Hoshi is strongly associated with establishing the short-short story literary form, when his daughter, Marina Hoshi, approached me about creating the Shinichi Hoshi Award, I wanted it to be something bigger than just short-shorts, something grounded in the broader literary world of the writer Shinichi Hoshi.

Arai: I've also been asked to serve as a judge, and I find the concept of "science-based literature" that the Hoshino Shin'ichi Award champions very interesting.

Kagami: Mr. Hoshi himself was a science-oriented person who studied agricultural chemistry all the way through graduate school at the University of Tokyo. His works, not just the short-shorts, are constructed with extremely precise logic. At the same time, they possess a universality that can be enjoyed not only by us adults, but also by elementary and middle school students, regardless of the era.

Arai: I once heard from an editor at a publishing house that even though it's been 17 years since Mr. Hoshi passed away, elementary and middle school students still send him letters. "Mr. Hoshi, how are you? I'm doing such-and-such now." Usually, science fiction inevitably feels dated over time, but that doesn't happen with Mr. Hoshi's work. It's remarkable how he completely avoided depicting contemporary customs and deliberately excluded any elements that might make it feel old-fashioned.

Kagami: I feel like that's also down to Mr. Hoshino's unique, science-oriented logic at work.
　

If the "science side" loses its power, the world's balance will be disrupted.

Arai: I once edited an anthology of Mr. Hoshi's works, and what struck me anew was how much of what he wrote has become reality. For example, his story "The Voice Network" clearly features computers and the internet, yet it was first published around 1970. That was an era without even a hint of the internet. And it specifically uses telephone lines.

Kagami: More than mere scientific foresight, Mr. Hoshi possessed overwhelming imagination and inventiveness as a writer. That's precisely what I hoped to see in this year's Hoshi Shin'ichi Award. Rather than focusing on whether the novel form is polished, I wanted to see what fascinating ideas sparked the work and how the author chose to convey them—logic naturally plays a part in that.

Arai: That's precisely what makes science-based literature so fascinating. It attempts to reconcile the seemingly contradictory concepts of "science" and "literature." I think quite a few people find it intriguing.

Arai: I completely understand that emphasizing ideas and logic is natural for a science-based literature award. However, Mr. Hoshi is not only remarkable for his scientific thinking and logic; he is also, above all, an exceptional writer. As long as the award bears his name, we cannot overlook the compelling allure of his fictional worlds, the engaging development of his narratives, or the readability of his prose. That was my mindset when evaluating the submissions.

Kagami: I'm glad we asked Arai-san. While it is a science-based award, it is, of course, a literary prize. I wanted Arai-san to evaluate the entries from a writer's perspective. While the definition of science-based literature may still be open to debate, one of our major goals is to help young people discover the appeal of scientific thinking and ideas. To put it somewhat grandly, if more young people develop an interest in science-based literature, Japanese culture could become truly exciting, and society could change for the better. That's what I believe.
　

The "Hoshi Shinichi Award" Created by Applicants: Hopes for the Ideas of the Younger Generation

Arai: I heard the total number of entries this time exceeded 3,000.

Kagami: 3,057 entries—I was surprised too. I think the support from the Nikkei newspaper, which organized it, was huge. I'd assumed we'd be over the moon if we got over 1,000, so it really drove home the greatness of Shinichi Hoshi as a writer.

Arai: That's an incredible number.

Kagami: What was a bit unexpected was how many entries in the general category were actually novels. I thought we might get more essay-like pieces. I was hoping for entries that were almost purely numerical, or works like factorization problems, or even novels written in a Twitter-like style. Regardless of the merits of the technique, the sheer originality of the ideas is one of the most important things we want to celebrate, given the award bears Shinichi Hoshi's name. I was hoping for more entries that would really surprise us.

Arai: I found many impressive works in the junior division. I'd be thrilled if elementary and middle school students read the winning entries and think, "Hey, I could write something like this!" and start challenging themselves. It's not just about having more young writers; I want them to discover the joy of writing for public consumption. I hope more and more children find it fun to write using scientific or analytical thinking.

Kagami: You're absolutely right. I hope those entering the general category next year and beyond will try out all kinds of different ideas too. For this first edition, I think each entrant had their own take on what "science-oriented" meant. It might have been a slightly different kind of science than what general readers think of. And when it's called "science-oriented literature," I imagine some people think, "What on earth is that?" Whether this year's winning works represent the world of science-oriented literature itself isn't necessarily the case. Rather, I believe a solid style for science-oriented literature will emerge over the years and decades as winning works accumulate.

Arai: That's a great idea – the style and concept of science-based literature solidifying through the power of the writers. I really hope more people start saying things like, "This isn't the kind of science I had in mind. This is the world of science I envision!"

Kagami: In that sense, the Seiichi Hoshi Award isn't some lofty prize perched on a pedestal. It's through more people submitting their work that the worldview of science fiction literature takes shape, and the Seiichi Hoshi Award itself is forged. And as science fiction culture spreads further, it can become a force that changes the world. After all, outstanding science fiction works in the past have powerfully stimulated real science, haven't they?

Arai: Science fiction inherently has this aspect of being science-based literature. Even mysteries, with their foreshadowing and puzzle-solving, are logical and rational—essentially a world of science-based reasoning. When original ideas and concepts are added to this scientific thinking and logic, it naturally leads to fascinating works of literature.

Kagami: And it contributes to society. I truly look forward to the future of science-oriented literature. (End)

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