Japanese novelist. He translated Lady Murasaki, and was the author of Snow Country (1947) and A Thousand Cranes (1952). His novels are characterized by melancholy and loneliness. He was the first Japanese to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1968.
The Union Jack marks Australia's historical links with Britain. The Southern Cross helped guide early European navigators to the continent. Effective date: 15 April 1954.