Who was Norio Kato?

"A person who can read deeply and interestingly, whether it's a novel or a poem."

Norihiro Kato (1948-2019) was a literary critic who, during his precocious literary youth, was engrossed in modern French literature and Kenzaburo Oe, then spent his student days participating in the Todai Zenkyoto student movement. After debuting as a literary critic, he repeatedly discussed Haruki Murakami and continued to focus on the dropping of the atomic bomb and Japan's acceptance of its "defeat" in the war.
In an era when writers and critics tend to be forgotten quickly after their deaths, who exactly was Norihiro Kato, whose works continue to be read by younger generations? This book re-reads more than 50 of Kato's works, who was sometimes criticized as "nationalistic" and sometimes defended as "truly liberal," and critically examines his 71-year life from multiple perspectives by reliving his trajectory and arguments. Five individuals, ranging in age from their 60s to their 20s, who have been involved with Kato as editors, students, and researchers, gather to rediscover the perspective and portrait of this literary critic in the familiar, easy-to-read roundtable discussion format of "Editorial Group SURE." What can we take away from this?