Really enjoyed this article. As someone who has written about Murakami a couple times, I also get stuck on his (plus all of the male writers you mentioned and more) poor treatment of female characters.

I think a good approach is reflecting on your own tastes as a reader. For me, I really like Murakami because I think he’s developed a sincere writing style that values the ordinary parts of life. I don’t think his treatment of female characters undermines the value of his fiction. That being said, I should always ask myself what else I’m reading. If my whole bookshelf is just writers like Murakami, moody men with big holes in their hearts, then I probably should be reading more by women writers.

Long lesson short: diverse reading is important.