Takami Ito、who won the 135th Akutagawa Prize for literature

Organizers of the prizes said it was the first time that a married couple received the two top literary awards.

Ito received the semiannual Akutagawa award on his third nomination for his work Hachigatsu no Rojo ni Suteru (throwing away on a street in August), which depicts the day in the life of a man who has decided to file for divorce the next day.

Ito made his literary debut in 1995 as he won the Bungei award while studying at Waseda University in Tokyo. He writes serious, entertainment and children's literature.

The Japan Times Weekly: July 22, 2006
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