Celebrated Japanese author Haruki Murakami will host a radio special on Friday to try to lift the nation’s spirits as it battles the Covid-19 crisis.

Murakami made his debut with the novel Norwegian Wood in 1987 and has since written many acclaimed novels, becoming a popular contender for the Nobel prize in literature.

His show ‘Stay Home Special’ will play on Tokyo FM80.0 and 38 stations nationwide on May 22 from 10pm to 11.55pm.

The name of the show is inspired by Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike’s recent plea, asking residents to stay at home in a bid to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Jaan has reported almost 16,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and more than 600 deaths to date.

“I’m hoping that the power of music can do a little to blow away some of the corona-related blues that have been piling up,” Murakami wrote on a webpage promoting the special.

Since 2018, Murakami has also sporadically hosted a pre-recorded one-hour show on Tokyo FM, playing a selection of the 10,000 records in his collection.