Japanese manga legend Jiro Taniguchi dies at 69

Paris : Jiro Taniguchi, a legend in Japan's comic art of manga, died in Tokyo on Saturday at the age of 69, leaving behind an international following for his exquisite line drawing of scenes from everyday life.

The artist's French publisher Casterman announced his death on its website, adding that he had been seriously ill, as it expressed its deep condolences to his family.

Taniguchi first shot to fame in Japan at the end of the 1980s with the first volume of "The Times of Botchan", which centres around Natsume Soseki, one of Japan's greatest writers.

Just over a decade later, he hit the international manga scene with "A Distant Neighbourhood", about a Japanese salaryman who travels back to his childhood -- widely seen to this day as his masterpiece.

Taniguchi's work is hailed for its delicate line drawing and intricately-constructed landscapes.

Critics have also praised his gentle subject matter for standing in stark contrast to the usual fare of high school romance or sometimes violent pornography consumed by some of Japan's manga fans.

In works such as "The Walking Man", the protagonist is occupied less by any specific action as with a fascination with aspects of everyday life -- the things he finds, the scenes he sees and the people he meets on his strolls through suburban neighbourhoods.