🔥 Trending Keigo Higashino: Renowned Japanese mystery novelist passes away at 68

Keigo Higashino was a highly acclaimed Japanese author, primarily known for his intricate and best-selling mystery novels ¹². He was a leading figure in Japanese mystery fiction, celebrated for his creative plots and detailed storytelling ³.

Higashino was born on February 4, 1958, in Osaka Prefecture, Japan ¹⁶. He graduated from Osaka Prefecture University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Before becoming a full-time author, he worked as an engineer for an auto-parts manufacturer, writing fiction in his spare time ⁶⁸. His literary career began in 1985 when his novel After School (Hōkago) won the 31st Edogawa Rampo Prize ⁶.

He served as the 13th President of the Mystery Writers of Japan from 2009 to 2013 ¹⁷. Throughout his career, Higashino won numerous major Japanese literary awards, and many of his nearly twenty award-winning books have been translated into other languages and adapted into television series and films ¹⁴. Some of his most famous works include The Devotion of Suspect X, which is part of his popular "Detective Galileo" series ²⁵.

Keigo Higashino passed away on July 23, 2026, at the age of 68, due to colon cancer ²⁵. His death was announced by his official X account and his publisher, Kodansha, on July 27, 2026 ³⁵.