Naoko Abe

Naoko Abe is a journalist and non-fiction writer.

Her first English-language book, ‘Cherry’ Ingram, The Englishman Who Saved Japan’s Blossoms, was published in March 2019 to critical acclaim. ‘Cherry’ Ingram was first published in Japanese in March 2016 and won the prestigious Nihon Essayist Club Award. The English edition is an adaptation of the original with a lot of new material. It has been translated into German, Italian and Dutch. Spanish, Polish, and Chinese editions are on the way.

Naoko Abe worked for the Mainichi Newspaper, one of Japan’s most influential newspapers, for many years. As the paper’s first female political reporter, she covered the prime minister’s office, the foreign ministry, and the defence ministry. She travelled extensively with prime ministers and foreign/defence ministers domestically and internationally.

She has written five books in Japanese on the British education system, family policies etc. She has developed a strong interest in the culture and politics of plants and flowers in recent years.

She lives with her British husband and two sons.

(Author's official website)