The 29th Yamamoto Shugoro Prize will be given to Kanae Minato for her book "Utopia," the award's screening committee said Monday.

"I feel at ease now that I finally won the prize," Minato said during a news conference held soon after the committee met. This was the third time she has been nominated.

Minato, who writes crime fiction and thrillers, debuted in 2007. Over 3 million copies of her first novel, "Kokuhaku" ("Confession"), have been published. A film adaptation of her second novel, "Shojo" ("Girls"), will be released in October.