My name is Kiyoyuki Murakami and I have worked for over 25 years in the business of translating English-language texts - primarily Star Wars-related books - for publication in Japan. The following is a selected list of the major titles I have worked on:

1999
The Art of Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Sony Music Solutions
(Co-translator)

2000
Star Wars Insider Japanese edition Vol.1
Sony Magazines
(Co-translator)

2001
Star Wars Insider Japanese edition Vol.2
Sony Magazines
(Co-translator)

2002
Star Wars Fact Files(#1-121)

2002-2004
De Agostini Japan
(Co-translator)

2003
Star Wars Insider Japanese edition Vol.4
Sony Magazines
(Co-translator)

2004
Star Wars Insider Japanese edition Vol.5
Sony Magazines
(Co-translator)

2005
Star Wars Insider Japanese edition Vol.6
Sony Magazines
(Co-translator)

Star Wars Poster Book
Shogakukan Productions
(Co-translator)

Star Wars Chronicles Episode I+II+III Limited Edition
(Co-writer)

2006
Aliens VS. Predator: The Creature Effects of Adi
FX
(Translator)

2007
Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem: Inside the Monster Shop
FX
(Translator)

2008
Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
FX
(Co-translator)

2010
Star Wars: Boba Fett: The Fight to Survive: Book 1
Star Wars: Boba Fett: Crossfire: Book 2
Star Wars: Boba Fett: Maze of Deception: Book 3
Star Wars: Boba Fett: Hunted: Book 4
FX
(Translator)

2012
Star Wars: Darth Vader: A 3-D Reconstruction Log Board book
TAKESHOBO Co., Ltd.

Millennium Falcon Owner's Workshop Manual
Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Co., Ltd.
(Translator)

2015
Death Star Manual: DS-1 Orbital Battle Station (Owners' Workshop Manual)
Tatsumi Publishing
(Translator)

Ultimate Star Wars
Gakken
(Co-translator)

2017
LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles Hardcover
POPLAR Publishing Co.,Ltd
(Translator)

Star Wars: Complete Location
Gakken
(Co-translator)

2018
Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
Gakken
(Co-translator)
The Art and Making of Pacific Rim Uprising
HobbyJAPAN Co., Ltd.
(Translator)

Solo: A Star Wars Story The Official Guide
Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha, Ltd.
(Co-translator)

Star Wars: Darth Maul comics
Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Co., Ltd.
(Translator)

2019
Alita: Battle Angel - The Art and Making of the Movie
PIA CORPORATION
(Translator)

Star Wars: Darth Vader (2017) comics
villagebooks
(Translator)

Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles
Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha, Ltd.
(Co-translator)

Marvel Encyclopedia
Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Co., Ltd.
(Co-translator)

2021
Mandalorian Season 1 Special Program booklet
TOHO Stella
(Co-translator)(Co-writer)

Star Wars Complete Vehicles New Edition
SEKAI BUNKA PUBLISHING INC.
(Supervising Translator)

2023
The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Co., Ltd.
(Co-translator)

Mandalorian Season 2 Special Program booklet
TOHO Stella
(Co-translator)(Co-writer)(columnist)

Ahsoka (novel)
Gakken
(Translator)

And our exploration of the Star Wars galaxy and other universes will continue....

ReRyoku Inc. - Our Story

It would be impossible to talk about the origin of ReRyoku Inc. without mentioning the name Junzo Takagi, a leading authority on Star Wars in Japan, and writer and editor of countless Japanese Star Wars publications, including the legendary The Star Wars Chronicles (1995, Takeshobo).

Takagi-San was the supervising editor on most of my work on the Japanese editions of the books and publications listed above until 2021, when sadly, he died unexpectedly, becoming one with the Force aged just 62. As his Padawan, I was then left behind, untrained with much still to learn!

After Takagi-San’s passing, I feared that without his influence, Star Wars fandom in Japan would fade away - a fandom which had grown through the books and other publications he, and I worked so hard on. I had to do something.

This drove me to found my own company, ReRyoku Inc. Long-time Japanese Star Wars fans may recognise the company name as being derived from “Riryoku” the 1978 translation of the term “The Force” when Star Wars was first released in Japan.

ReRyoku primarily aims to translate English-language books into Japanese, and most of what we do centers around Star Wars. But just as Takagi San’s company, FX covered other sci-fi franchises such as Aliens and Marvel, ReRyoku Inc. too seeks to explore other fictional universes. A prime example of this ambition is The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023), a massive weighty tome, the translation of which literally almost killed me… It’s no exaggeration to call it a labor of blood sweat and tears!

Continuing the vision of Junzo Takagi, ReRyoku Inc. is committed to supporting Star Wars fandom and culture in Japan through the means of publications, and more.

The Force will be with you, always.

Kiyoyuki Murakami
Representative, ReRyoku Inc.