Renowned novelist Haruki Murakami received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hawaii, Manoa, on Saturday, at a Honolulu graduation ceremony.
Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw said the school conferred the honorary degree to Murakami for his "enduring compassion and global contributions in postmodern literature."
Murakami, who did not deliver a speech, was given a round of applause by the 5,000 graduating students and their families during the ceremony.
Murakami is currently a visiting professor in the university's Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures. Many of his literary works have been translated into English and are popular in the U.S. "His works of fiction and nonfiction have been translated in more than 40 languages," Hinshaw said. "With his translation skill, he has also introduced Japanese readers to many American and English writers."