John Marquand's Mr Moto stories began after Marquand made a trip to China in the mid-1930s. Japan had begun occupying parts of China, and their activities in China received a great deal of attention in the United States leading up to the Second World War. As with Earl Biggers' Charlie Chan stories, the real story in each novel is about an American male who gets into trouble in China (usually), to be rescued by the mysterious Japanese agent, Mr Moto.

Taking nothing away from Biggers, Marquand is the finer writer, and whether done just for the money or not, these novels are fine reads. That they are no longer published is mirrored by the fact that most of Marquand's serious literature is not, either.

The films made of Mr Moto's adventures change the story architecture completely, making Mr Moto the focus of the story. No attempt is made to put a novel story line into one of the films, and I'm glad of that. I actually like the films, and much better than the Charlie Chan films. There are only 8, I think, but as long as you know you're not watching a film made in the 21st century, they're fun to watch.

The only book by Matsumoto Seicho that I have read so far is an excellent police procedural a translation of which has the English title "Inspector Imanishi Investigates." It is very Japanese, and although you're reading it in English, you know that you're not far from Tokyo. The film of this made some ten years after the 1961 novel is still highly respected in Japan (witness its continued availability), and I look forward to seeing this version of the fine book.

Miyabe Miyuki is an excellent modern writer who does not shun the supernatural, although I suspect that most Japanese would not consider 'supernatural' certain occurrences that I so label. We get fine details of modern Japanese life in these domestic dramas that happen to involve a police detective. Start with All She Was Worth, but Ms Miyabe has not established a particular detective, and the novels are all independent, so far as I am aware.

Naomi Hirahara brings Japanese culture to America. Actually, she just finds it here (and grew up with it). Her detective is actually an ancient Japanese gardener who lives in the Los Angeles area but gets into trouble almost everywhere. I can't remember what any of the mysteries were, just that I very much enjoyed reading about the exploits of a bunch of folks I swear I used to be related to.

The one book I've read by Takagi Akimitsu is quite old, having been written shortly after WWII. In fact, the lead character is a recently discharged soldier of the Japanese Army. We see a great deal of everyday Japanese life—at least in so far as it was being lived in immediately postwar Japan.

I don't know how long the list of Japanese authors will become for us. In Japan, it is nearly endless, but we are restricting ourselves to works of English so we have a chance to keep up. Some day...

Michael Broschat, Aug 2008