Cathy Hirano graduated from International Christian University in Tokyo in 1983 with a BA in cultural anthropology and has been translating professionally since 1984. Her translations of YA fiction and fantasy have won several awards, including a 2020 Michael L. Printz Honor award for The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi. Her translations of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and its sequels by Marie Kondo are international bestsellers. She lives in Shikoku, Japan.