A professor and scholar of Arabic and Persian literature, Igarashi was murdered late at night at his university office for having translated The Satanic Verses into Japanese.
Masako Igarashi (wife)
Hitoshi Igarashi was an assistant professor of comparative Islamic culture at Tsukuba University near Tokyo, Japan. He was also the Japanese translator of Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses. As Iran’s Supreme Leader had issued a fatwa ordering the execution of Rushdie and anyone else involved with the book’s publishing, Igarashi’s life was put in danger once the Japanese translation was released. In July 1991, Igarashi would be found dead of stab wounds outside his university office. His throat had been cut, and he had died within a few hours of midnight.
“I am extremely distressed by the news of the murder of Mr. Hitoshi Igarashi and I offer my condolences and deepest sympathy to his family.” - Salman Rushdie
There were no direct witnesses to the attack, and no motive was immediately obvious. Before Igarashi translated Rushdie’s novel, the Islamic Center of Japan had asked Japanese media not to circulate, transmit, or translate the book in any way, calling it “anti-Islamic” and alleging it mocked Islam’s fundamental beliefs. The publishing house responsible for the translation had also received threats of violence after the book was released.
Igarashi's murder came only a week after Italian translator Ettore Capriolo suffered a similar knife attack.
Japanese Translator of Rushdie Book Found Slain - New York Times
Translator of ‘Satanic Verses’ Slain - Los Angeles Times
