Was Master and Margarita a big influence on Murakami?

I’m about 25% of the way through Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, and can’t stop comparing it to Kafka on the Shore. Similar lengths of chapters, similar pacing of the story, each chapter alternates between one of the intertwined stories, surrealism all over the place, absurd subtle humor, talking cats… I don’t find much else online talking about this comparison, and nothing that directly sites as an influence on Murakami. Curious if anyone has thought the same, or if Mikami has talked about this Bulgakov work at all.