The late renowned Japanese mystery novelist Keigo Higashino had a vast readership in China and topped China’s “Foreign Author Rich List” three times. Many readers expressed surprise and grief at his passing, and scholar Yi Zhongtian wrote, 'Sensei, how could you leave me.'
Keigo Higashino passed away in the early morning of the 23rd due to colorectal cancer, at the age of 68.
Two major Chinese-language films adapted from Higashino’s works have been released in China: The Devotion of Suspect X and Miracles of the Namiya General Store. Both works premiered in 2017, entirely reinterpreted by mainland Chinese directors and actors.
In 2011, with his novel Journey Under the Midnight Sun (White Night Walk), he ranked fifth on China’s “Foreign Author Rich List”. Starting from 2017, he topped the foreign authors’ list for three consecutive years. In 2018, his royalties reached as high as 42 million yuan (around 25.36 million Malaysian Ringgit), nearly double that of 2017, and in 2019 about 30 million yuan (around 18.11 million Malaysian Ringgit).
Phoenix Net’s book channel featured an introduction in March 2022 detailing Higashino’s immense popularity and rise to fame.
The article stated that in terms of physical book sales, Higashino’s Miracles of the Namiya General Store sold more than 10 million copies of its simplified Chinese version within just four years of its 2014 publication in China, while global cumulative sales of this title were 13 million. From 2008 to 2022, just one publisher, Thinkingdom, introduced 52 works by Higashino, with combined sales exceeding 23 million copies.
For comparison, the article cited Chinese authors Yu Hua’s To Live and Lu Yao’s Ordinary World, noting that though these works have been published for over 30 years with tens of reprints—making them some of the most distributed works of modern Chinese literature—by 2020 their total sales only reached 20 million.
In 2008, Higashino’s simplified Chinese version works first entered the Chinese market and were instantly successful, mainly because the Japanese TV drama “Journey Under the Midnight Sun” became hugely popular in China at that time.
The article pointed out that although the series received only a lukewarm response in Japan, in 2007 China became the country with the world’s largest internet population. As various pirated “resource downloads” became commonplace, it propelled the series into a huge hit.
Higashino had another “unique” status in China. Another mystery writer, Seicho Matsumoto, has a far higher reputation in Japan, but in China, to boost sales, his books were promoted with slogans like “Seicho Matsumoto is the writer who deeply influenced my creative career. — Keigo Higashino.”
After news of Higashino’s passing spread, many Chinese netizens left messages in mourning. Renowned writer and cultural scholar Yi Zhongtian also published a post on his WeChat public account in the evening, stating bluntly, “Sensei, how could you leave me.”
He said both he and his granddaughter are fans of Higashino, but he is a more senior and devoted follower. Higashino’s special meaning for him is: “No matter how much pressure I’m under, as long as I read Keigo Higashino, I can find peace of mind. During tough times, it was Higashino's books that helped me get through.”