Pathway to Japanese Literature

Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.

Election Murder CaseAuthor: Sakaguchi Ango

Original Title	選挙殺人事件
Author	坂口安吾
Genre	Detective & Mystery
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In a post-war Tokyo neighborhood, an enigmatic furniture magnate, Mitsutaka Yoshitarō, disrupts local routines by abruptly closing his workshop to campaign for political office. His candidacy baffles residents: a wealthy man with no prior political ties, he delivers bizarre, self-deprecating speeches laced with cryptic references to mediocrity and futility. Intrigued by rumors of financial recklessness and erratic behavior, reporter Kankichi investigates, uncovering layers of strangeness—a shadowy associate who vanishes, drunken public breakdowns, and a headless corpse discovered near Mitsutaka’s property. The candidate’s wife reveals unsettling details about his sudden obsession with literature by suicidal authors, while his campaign teeters between farce and tragedy, marked by drunken brawls and incoherent pleas. As Kankichi digs deeper, he unearths whispers of a buried past involving prison escapes and stolen identities, hinting that Mitsutaka’s political theater masks a desperate bid for redemption—or self-destruction. The truth, tangled in literary allusions and postwar chaos, lurks just beyond reach, daring readers to untangle ambition from atonement.