Keigo Higashino, Author of The Devotion of Suspect X, Dies at 68

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Japanese mystery novelist Keigo Higashino, whose bestselling works including The Devotion of Suspect X helped popularize Japanese crime fiction around the world, has died of colorectal cancer at the age of 68.

His publisher, Kodansha, announced Monday that Higashino died in the early hours of July 23. The company said his funeral had already been held privately in accordance with his family's wishes, adding that the family would not accept condolence money, flowers, or telegrams.

As reported by The Independent, Higashino's death marks the end of one of the most successful careers in modern Japanese publishing. Over four decades, he wrote 106 novels and sold approximately 109 million copies in Japan. His books were published in 41 countries and regions, earning a devoted international readership, particularly across Asia, Europe, and North America.

Born in Osaka on Feb. 4, 1958, Higashino studied electrical engineering at Osaka Prefecture University before working as an engineer at automotive components manufacturer Denso. He continued writing in his spare time and made his literary breakthrough in 1985 when his unpublished novel After School won Japan's prestigious Edogawa Rampo Prize and was published as his debut work.

Throughout his career, Higashino became renowned for intricate plots, psychological suspense, and intellectually driven mysteries. Among his most celebrated creations was physicist Manabu Yukawa, better known as Detective Galileo, whose scientific approach to solving crimes inspired a bestselling novel series as well as hit television dramas and films starring Masaharu Fukuyama.

Other popular works included Journey Under the Midnight Sun, The Miracles of the Namiya General Store, Newcomer, Masquerade Hotel, and The Final Curtain, many of which were adapted for film and television.

His 2005 novel The Devotion of Suspect X became his best-known work internationally after winning both Japan's Naoki Prize and the Honkaku Mystery Award in 2006. The novel was later shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best Novel in the United States, while Newcomer earned a nomination for the United Kingdom's International Dagger Award in 2019, making Higashino the first Japanese writer nominated for both honors.

According to The Japan Times, Higashino also received numerous literary distinctions throughout his career, including the Mystery Writers of Japan Award, the Yoshikawa Eiji Literature Prize, the Chuo Koron Prize for Literature, the Kikuchi Kan Prize, the Japan Mystery Literature Grand Prize, and Japan's Medal with Purple Ribbon. He served as president of the Mystery Writers of Japan from 2009 to 2013 but generally avoided public attention, preferring his work to speak for itself.

In a rare interview with The Wall Street Journal in 2011, Higashino explained his writing philosophy.

"Some writers aim to move their readers, others want to write beautiful sentences. I want readers to be continually surprised by my ideas," he said.

Higashino's novels frequently crossed borders through screen adaptations. The Devotion of Suspect X inspired multiple films, including Japan's Suspect X (2008), South Korea's Perfect Number (2012), China's The Devotion of Suspect X (2017), India's Tamil-language Kolaigaran (2019), and the Hindi-language Netflix adaptation Jaane Jaan (2023). Other works inspired adaptations such as Monica, O My Darling, based on Heart of Brutus, and The Secret, adapted from Himitsu (Naoko).

Tributes poured in following news of his death.

Masaharu Fukuyama, who portrayed Detective Galileo in film and television adaptations, wrote on X that he could not yet bring himself to say goodbye.

"As someone who has lived as one of the inhabitants of Professor Higashino's stories, I have always felt very close to the life he poured into his works," Fukuyama wrote. "I feel that his spirit is still here with us."

Actor Takuya Kimura, who played Detective Kosuke Nitta in the Masquerade Hotel films, thanked Higashino for entrusting him with the role and wished him peace.

Fellow mystery novelist Yumehito Inoue also shared his condolences, saying Higashino's death had left "a huge ache" in his heart.

Outside Japan, tributes highlighted the author's global influence. Hong Kong democracy activist Agnes Chow, a longtime admirer of Higashino's novels, described him as one of her favorite writers and thanked him for giving readers "so much emotion" and courage.

Bookstores across Japan also honored Higashino by creating special memorial displays showcasing his works. Tsuyoshi Sonoda, who oversees foreign books merchandising at Kinokuniya's flagship store in Tokyo's Shinjuku district, described the displays as "a thank you to him for his splendid titles."

Sonoda praised Higashino's storytelling for balancing broad accessibility with an unexpected darkness.

"Compared to cozy literature, Higashino's works contained a kind of poison—an unexpected, curious and dangerous quality that is intrinsic to great art," he said.

Keigo Higashino's final novel, Eternal Memory, is scheduled to be published posthumously in early August, allowing readers one last journey into the meticulously crafted worlds that made him one of Japan's most influential contemporary authors.

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