Poet, publicist and cultural promoter Mihaela Băbușanu is making a new appearance in publications abroad (Japan, Great Britain, India), by publishing a haiku (a traditional Japanese poetry genre with a fixed form), in the March 20, 2026 edition of the Japanese daily newspaper *"Asahi Shimbun", one of the most prestigious, oldest and influential national dailies in Japan.
The presence of the poet from Bacău, for the second time in the pages of the publication, takes place, alongside other established authors of the haiku genre, coming from different corners of the world.Given that Japan is considered the homeland of haiku, which has become the most popular Japanese poetic form, known and appreciated worldwide, the selection of a Romanian author in such a publication can undoubtedly be classified as an important recognition of his artistic and literary value.
"I am delighted, honored and grateful to Professor ** David McMurray, for selecting and publishing my poem in `Asahi Shimbun`, one of the most important and traditional publications in Japan!", Mihaela Băbușanu expressed her appreciation, who with this new appearance, confirms her international visibility and contribution to promoting Romanian culture in the world..
*"Asahi Shimbun", translated as "The Newspaper of the Rising Sun", a large-circulation Japanese liberal daily newspaper, founded by the Asahi concern in 1879, with morning and evening editions, one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, being considered a "newspaper of record" for Japan. At the same time, Asahi Shimbun is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan, and its circulation, which was 3,26 million copies for the morning edition and 892.295 copies for the evening edition, as of June 2025, was second only to that of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.
By print circulation, it is the second largest newspaper in the world, after the Yomiuri, although its digital footprint is somewhat smaller than that of The New York Times. With its long tradition and editorial approach, the Asahi Shimbun plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion in Japan.
** David McMurray He has been writing the Asahi Haikuist Network column since April 1995, originally for the Asahi Evening News. He is on the editorial board of the English-language haiku anthology Red Moon, is a columnist for the Haiku International Association, and is the editor of Teaching Assistance, a column in The Language Teacher of the Japan Association for the Teaching of Foreign Languages ​​(JALT). McMurray is a professor of intercultural studies at Kagoshima International University, where he teaches international haiku. At the Graduate School, he supervises students researching haiku. He is also a corresponding professor of English haiku for the Asahi Cultural Center in Tokyo, a judge for haiku competitions, and the author of well-received and award-winning volumes on haiku.
(Source: "The Asashi Shimbun", "Asahi Haikuist Network" column, by David McMurray, March 20, 2026, at https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16420486)