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Prefecture D #1
Prefecture D
A collection of four novellas: each taking place in 1998, each set in the world of Six Four, and each centring around a mystery and the unfortunate officer tasked with solving it.
SEASON OF SHADOWS
"The force could lose face . . . I want you to fix this." Personnel's Futawatari receives a horrifying memo forcing him to investigate the behaviour of a legendary detective with unfinished business.
CRY OF THE EARTH
"It's too easy to kill a man with a rumour." Shinto of Internal Affairs receives an anonymous tipoff alleging a Station Chief is visiting the red-light district - a warning he soon learns is a red herring.
BLACK LINES
"It was supposed to be her special day." Section Chief Nanao, responsible for the force's 49 female officers, is alarmed to learn her star pupil has not reported for duty, and is believed to be missing.
BRIEFCASE
"We need to know what he's going to ask." On the eve of a routine debate, Political Liaison Tsuge learns a wronged politician is preparing his revenge. He must now quickly dig up dirt to silence him.
Prefecture D continues Hideo Yokoyama's exploration of the themes of obsession, saving face, office politics and inter-departmental conflicts. Placing everyday characters between a rock and a hard place and then dialling up the pressure, he blends and balances the very Japanese with the very accessible, to spectacular effect.
SEASON OF SHADOWS
"The force could lose face . . . I want you to fix this." Personnel's Futawatari receives a horrifying memo forcing him to investigate the behaviour of a legendary detective with unfinished business.
CRY OF THE EARTH
"It's too easy to kill a man with a rumour." Shinto of Internal Affairs receives an anonymous tipoff alleging a Station Chief is visiting the red-light district - a warning he soon learns is a red herring.
BLACK LINES
"It was supposed to be her special day." Section Chief Nanao, responsible for the force's 49 female officers, is alarmed to learn her star pupil has not reported for duty, and is believed to be missing.
BRIEFCASE
"We need to know what he's going to ask." On the eve of a routine debate, Political Liaison Tsuge learns a wronged politician is preparing his revenge. He must now quickly dig up dirt to silence him.
Prefecture D continues Hideo Yokoyama's exploration of the themes of obsession, saving face, office politics and inter-departmental conflicts. Placing everyday characters between a rock and a hard place and then dialling up the pressure, he blends and balances the very Japanese with the very accessible, to spectacular effect.
Audible Audio
First published January 1, 1998
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About the author
Hideo Yokoyama
60 books369 followersHideo Yokoyama (横山 秀夫) worked as an investigative reporter with a regional newspaper north of Tokyo for 12 years before striking out on his own as a fiction writer. He made his literary debut in 1998 when his collection of police stories Kage no kisetsu (Season of Shadows) won the Matsumoto Seicho Prize; the volume was also short-listed for the Naoki Prize. In 2000 his story Doki (Motive) was awarded the Mystery Writers of Japan Award for Short Stories. His 2002 novel Han'ochi (Half Solved) earned a Konomys No. 1 and gained him a place among Japan's best-selling authors. He repeated his Konomys No. 1 ranking in 2013 with 64 Rokuyon (64), his first novel in seven years. Other prominent works include his 2003 Kuraimazu hai (Climber's High), centering on the crash of JAL Flight 123 that he covered as a reporter in 1985; the World War II novel Deguchi no nai umi (Seas with No Exit, 2004); the police novel Shindo zero (Seismic Intensity Zero, 2005); and the story collection Rinjo (Initial Investigation, 2004).
Source:http://www.booksfromjapan.jp/authors/...
Source:http://www.booksfromjapan.jp/authors/...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
April 18, 2024
A rather strange book: a collection of four short stories built around the complexities of the inner workings of a Japanese police HQ and centered on the themes of saving face, corporate politics and interdepartmental conflicts, but still engaging and well-written. I will definitely read more by this author.
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Un libro piuttosto strano: una raccolta di quattro racconti costruiti attorno alle complessità del funzionamento interno di un quartier generale della polizia giapponese e incentrato sui temi del salvare la faccia, della politica aziendale e dei conflitti interdipartimentali, ma comunque coinvolgente e ben scritto. Leggerò sicuramente altro di questo autore.
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Un libro piuttosto strano: una raccolta di quattro racconti costruiti attorno alle complessità del funzionamento interno di un quartier generale della polizia giapponese e incentrato sui temi del salvare la faccia, della politica aziendale e dei conflitti interdipartimentali, ma comunque coinvolgente e ben scritto. Leggerò sicuramente altro di questo autore.
July 3, 2020
Been wanting to read Prefecture D after having a starstruck with both Six Four and Seventeen. However, unlike both Six Four and Seventeen (complex narratives and characters which include both police procedural and crime investigations), Prefecture D focused more on the internal police scandals and bureaucracy conflicts, obsession and envy among the police force. From the promotion/transfer season to anonymous tip-off of the station chief to missing officer and a politician revenge on the force, it carried the world of Six Four (some characters you find in Six Four will be here) which making it more gripping to me.
I love Hideo's style of writing which always detailed despite the lengthiness and too descriptive, it gave the engaging strength to his idea and storytelling. Eventhough it was a light read on crime, no criminal vs police drama or even thrilling mystery (which if you are fancy with this kind I wouldn't recommend Prefecture D to you) I still find it appropriately enjoyable. How all four cases shaking the Prefecture D headquarters actually amused me, to think that an organisation scandal and conflict could messed all the officers-in-charge up, it was truly engrossing to see.
Also, I like the end twists for all novellas, quite cunning.
I love Hideo's style of writing which always detailed despite the lengthiness and too descriptive, it gave the engaging strength to his idea and storytelling. Eventhough it was a light read on crime, no criminal vs police drama or even thrilling mystery (which if you are fancy with this kind I wouldn't recommend Prefecture D to you) I still find it appropriately enjoyable. How all four cases shaking the Prefecture D headquarters actually amused me, to think that an organisation scandal and conflict could messed all the officers-in-charge up, it was truly engrossing to see.
Also, I like the end twists for all novellas, quite cunning.
January 1, 2021
i read 2 of the novellas in this collection. the first one was very delicate. not the "regular" thriller you expect. there is a very shadowy crime in the back ground and most of the tension is coming from the Japanese cups who is torn between obligation to the tough system and the sense of compassion he feels toward an old cup refusing to move from his post until he find out who raped his daughter. the second novella was based on the same principal: stiff system, to report a fellow officer or not. these are nice stories but do not expect a thriller as in his other books. still very fine writing, sometimes if you loose it seems boring but it is not.
July 2, 2016
Season Of Shadows is the second or third book I've read by Hideo Yokoyama, the main characters of this short stories collection are all cops from the same district. Surprisingly, most of these stories aren't your normal 'cops go out catching bad guys and saving the day' drama. Yes, those cops are still investigating and rooting out bad people/offenders...but they are doing it against the bad people/offenders from within their own rank...
There are inner conflicts among different departments within the police station, there are power struggles among different teams, there also are competitions to get promotion...the stories are interesting and they help you to get a look of how ordinary cops handle their career and mission, how to deal with their problems and solve the cases. So 3.75 stars.
There are inner conflicts among different departments within the police station, there are power struggles among different teams, there also are competitions to get promotion...the stories are interesting and they help you to get a look of how ordinary cops handle their career and mission, how to deal with their problems and solve the cases. So 3.75 stars.
December 15, 2020
Seek no Murakami here. Yokoyama is a classic understated Japanese author. This set of four novella are more mysteries than police procedurals. Each turn on an aspect of Japanese culture familiar to the Japanese or those who’ve spent some time there. These cultural drivers are ugly, but common, and unseen under the placid surface of any organization such as the police.
The four stories in “Prefecture D” revolve around four different police officers (although one in particular has a role in three stories, and is named in the fourth). I would have found it more interesting had that character (Inspector Futawatari) played a more prominent role throughout.
Still, that might have diminished the third and one of the best novellas in this collection, a realistic, yet noble portrayal of the lesser role of woman in the Japanese workforce, especially in a male-dominated institution such as the police. Futawatari knows that too. But Section Chief Tomoko Nanao conveys the love for the women she commands, even when things go wrong.
The four stories in “Prefecture D” revolve around four different police officers (although one in particular has a role in three stories, and is named in the fourth). I would have found it more interesting had that character (Inspector Futawatari) played a more prominent role throughout.
Still, that might have diminished the third and one of the best novellas in this collection, a realistic, yet noble portrayal of the lesser role of woman in the Japanese workforce, especially in a male-dominated institution such as the police. Futawatari knows that too. But Section Chief Tomoko Nanao conveys the love for the women she commands, even when things go wrong.
June 24, 2020
At the beginning of PREFECTURE D, there is a problem. Not the kind that normally opens a crime book about police officers, not a crime at all. No, there is a personnel problem. There are too many officers to transfer and not enough spots to put them in. I smiled and said to myself, "Ah yes, this is Yokoyama alright."
SIX FOUR was too long, PREFECTURE D is the opposite: four short stories. The length suits Yokoyama much better. And I found myself happy to sit down to these weirdly mundane stories of council meetings and administrative affairs. Much procedural fiction is set in a heightened world that isn't much like the real one, full of the kinds of murders and kidnappings that almost never actually happen in the real world, with brave yet troubled cops who also don't bear much resemblance to their real life counterparts. This is Japan, so it's quite different from the US, but Yokoyama understands just how much of this work is bureaucracy, politics, and low-stakes quarrels.
If this is starting to sound boring, it's not. Really. That personnel matter? It ends up being tied to an unsolved murder with some very real stakes. In one story an officer goes missing. One is about an allegation of misconduct taken to Internal Affairs. I found it all weirdly comforting, especially the way Yokoyama shows you how people work their way up the ladder and what helps or hinders their efforts. This is what Yokoyama is really good at, for all of SIX FOUR's frustrating repetitive sprawl, PREFECTURE D is a cleaner, stronger, better book exactly because of its limits.
SIX FOUR was too long, PREFECTURE D is the opposite: four short stories. The length suits Yokoyama much better. And I found myself happy to sit down to these weirdly mundane stories of council meetings and administrative affairs. Much procedural fiction is set in a heightened world that isn't much like the real one, full of the kinds of murders and kidnappings that almost never actually happen in the real world, with brave yet troubled cops who also don't bear much resemblance to their real life counterparts. This is Japan, so it's quite different from the US, but Yokoyama understands just how much of this work is bureaucracy, politics, and low-stakes quarrels.
If this is starting to sound boring, it's not. Really. That personnel matter? It ends up being tied to an unsolved murder with some very real stakes. In one story an officer goes missing. One is about an allegation of misconduct taken to Internal Affairs. I found it all weirdly comforting, especially the way Yokoyama shows you how people work their way up the ladder and what helps or hinders their efforts. This is what Yokoyama is really good at, for all of SIX FOUR's frustrating repetitive sprawl, PREFECTURE D is a cleaner, stronger, better book exactly because of its limits.
May 28, 2019
A collection of short stories based in Prefecture D. Enjoyable but not as enthralling as his novels.
March 2, 2020
4 loosely connected short stories illustrating life in the Tokyo police. It’s culturally interesting, well written and entertaining. Highly recommended.
December 16, 2025
Four novellas collected into a single volume. All of them explore power structures within the police system, and the relationships between police power structures and the structures of society in general. I'd not read Yokoyama before, and was unfamiliar with the police world he has built. One thing I enjoyed about these stories is that they were about different characters within the same department. The man I take to be Yokoyama's central character is present in all, but the stories focus on different individuals, in different roles and ranks, but all hoping to move up within the force.
December 12, 2020
Hideo Yokoyama writes smart procedurals. What's fascinating is that they often seem to concentrate more on the inside world of the police organizations than the outside world in which the crime took place. And also, they are frequently centered around someone in the department who is not a detective.
Prefecture D is set in the same community as his breakout novel, Six Four. This book is a collection of four short novellas. Each is entertaining, and each is different than the others in the collection. All things being equal, I'd have preferred a novel, but this was an enjoyable read.
Prefecture D is set in the same community as his breakout novel, Six Four. This book is a collection of four short novellas. Each is entertaining, and each is different than the others in the collection. All things being equal, I'd have preferred a novel, but this was an enjoyable read.
April 23, 2019
Written before 'SixFour' and 'Seventeen', these 4 short stories show Yokoyama's developing interest in police procedure. Fascinating to see how he has developed over time as an author.
January 22, 2021
A writer who has a wonderful talent for evoking the claustrophobia and paranoia inside a bureaucracy. Even when the stakes seem petty, the narrative remains taut and compelling, the twists and turns unpredictable. I kept wondering, how does he pull this off?
April 1, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed these short stories. Each story had a clever twist and each delved inter the inner workings of the Japanese police. Who knew a story about working in administration could be so captivating?
June 14, 2020
Last year I battled my way through Yokoyama's massive "Six Four," and when asked if I enjoyed it I remember replying, "I'm not sure." When I saw another of the author's books had been translated into English, set in the same world and region as "Six Four," I decided to pick it up and see if it would shed any more light on the novel.
"Prefecture D" is not exactly a novel, it's a collection of stand alone stories involving the same police units in the same part of Japan with a few characters appearing from "Six Four" and at least one character here appearing in all the chapters.
It's a very quick read and I think more accessible than the sprawling "Six Four" however, there remains the same kind of culture shock in reading this that struck me about the longer work. Namely that, if accurately depicted in Yokoyama's work, the Japanese adherence to a strict sense of hierarchy and propriety is debilitating and actually harmful. At least for the characters depicted here.
I can't stand in a story when there's a misunderstanding used to throw up a new obstacle in the path of the protagonist that would have been easily avoided if a character had just said, "wait a second, I think you misunderstood what I said." Or similar.
In Yokoyama's world those kinds of obstacles are thrown up all the time. But somehow it is understandable because the character who sees the problem is unable to say something because he can't speak to his elder or superior officer in such a disrespectful way. As a westerner, and a bit of a sassy smart aleck, I wouldn't intend it or expect it to inflict disrespect to simply say, "actually, sir, that's not why I've come to call on you." But hey, I'm not an inspector or superintendent or director or any of a dozen other somewhat confusing ranks Yokoyama rattles off with ease. I'm sure a Japanese person is familiar with the ranks, but it was a little confusing at times.
Having said all of this, I found these stories to be entertaining and well done. If you read them and enjoy them, maybe give "Six Four" a try.
"Prefecture D" is not exactly a novel, it's a collection of stand alone stories involving the same police units in the same part of Japan with a few characters appearing from "Six Four" and at least one character here appearing in all the chapters.
It's a very quick read and I think more accessible than the sprawling "Six Four" however, there remains the same kind of culture shock in reading this that struck me about the longer work. Namely that, if accurately depicted in Yokoyama's work, the Japanese adherence to a strict sense of hierarchy and propriety is debilitating and actually harmful. At least for the characters depicted here.
I can't stand in a story when there's a misunderstanding used to throw up a new obstacle in the path of the protagonist that would have been easily avoided if a character had just said, "wait a second, I think you misunderstood what I said." Or similar.
In Yokoyama's world those kinds of obstacles are thrown up all the time. But somehow it is understandable because the character who sees the problem is unable to say something because he can't speak to his elder or superior officer in such a disrespectful way. As a westerner, and a bit of a sassy smart aleck, I wouldn't intend it or expect it to inflict disrespect to simply say, "actually, sir, that's not why I've come to call on you." But hey, I'm not an inspector or superintendent or director or any of a dozen other somewhat confusing ranks Yokoyama rattles off with ease. I'm sure a Japanese person is familiar with the ranks, but it was a little confusing at times.
Having said all of this, I found these stories to be entertaining and well done. If you read them and enjoy them, maybe give "Six Four" a try.
November 18, 2020
What a strange and delightful book. A really surprising and compelling read. I can only describe it oxymoronically as a bureaucratic thriller.
October 12, 2021
A truly enjoyable novel of short tales by Hideo Yokoyama. Each story had it's own feeling attached to it from the quietness of the first novella to the picked up pace of the later ones. Truly a great introduction to a spectacular author!
September 22, 2020
Four short stories from the author of Six-Four, all I'm going to say is that if you loved that then you'll love this.
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February 15, 2025Hard copy.
December 7, 2020
"Prefecture D" was published in Japan in 1998 but translated and published in the United States this year (2020). However, the internal departmental dilemmas in the four novellas remain relevant and universal. "Make a friend. Just one will do."
November 25, 2020
I think I would have appreciated these novellas more if I had read Six Four, which introduced this world and these characters. I will say I liked following these four different characters arrayed throughout the police department, investigating various circumstances. Though each case was "solved", you're left feeling unsettled and slightly unresolved at the end. Again, having not read Six Four, I'm unsure if the characters we meet or the situations we encounter here play a role in that larger story.
Yokoyama has a brilliant way of using very little time with these characters to make us really know how they fit in with people around them. I was particularly intrigued by the rearrangements of upper management whenever someone retires or gets promoted or needs to be disciplined and the role of women police officers (how they're almost entirely segregated from their male counterparts and resented for "taking the positions" from men).
I'm definitely curious to see how Six Four shapes out, if I can find a copy to read!
{Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
Yokoyama has a brilliant way of using very little time with these characters to make us really know how they fit in with people around them. I was particularly intrigued by the rearrangements of upper management whenever someone retires or gets promoted or needs to be disciplined and the role of women police officers (how they're almost entirely segregated from their male counterparts and resented for "taking the positions" from men).
I'm definitely curious to see how Six Four shapes out, if I can find a copy to read!
{Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
January 2, 2021
What a strange book. Almost all of the action takes place in the administrative offices of a middle sized police precinct. Criminals and victims are rarely even mentioned in these four novellas. The intrigue is provided entirely by internal affairs, which in these stories means inter-cop competition in “the race to the top.” Indeed, these guys are all so worried about getting promoted that you wonder if they have time for crime at all.
Some nice details about police life in Japan; a complicated and opaque system of transfers, dorm living for the first 5 years of a cop’s career, issues for women in the ranks, etc.
Some nice details about police life in Japan; a complicated and opaque system of transfers, dorm living for the first 5 years of a cop’s career, issues for women in the ranks, etc.
September 18, 2021
Each of these four novellas is centered on a mystery. However, the solutions must be found, not by detectives, but by ambitious staffers in the structure behind the front line - administration, human relations, and internal affairs. Each of the stories is quite original and very intense. I especially liked the third, which centers on the female police in the prefecture. The audio version reader is perfectly suited to the tense style of the stories.
November 1, 2019
4 short stories about police hq. What is striking is how different the Japanese culture and way of thinking is compared to ours. Fascinating and well written. Looking forward to the other two books which are out there. Recommended for those who want something different in crime procedurals.
May 10, 2019
Subtle and clever crime/detective short stories. The psychology behind the motives are a key factor in making the stories come to life.
September 1, 2020
I definitely prefer the longer books this author normally writes. As is usual for me with short story collections, a few I really enjoyed and a few were just average reads.
August 31, 2024
Spoilers ahead. This is 4 novellas.
Season of Shadows: This is a slow methodical story. For the first 50% of the story, I didn't know what to think of it and even thought about dnf'ing it. Futawatari is the head of Personnel at Prefecture D. After a long career as a cop he's now an administrator, tasked with promotion and shuffling high level cops around (demotions and transfers). And apparently in Japan, when top cops retire they are given short term board positions or window dressing executive positions at foundations or industry associations before fully retiring.
Now for some reason former chief of the Criminal Division Osakabe is refusing to step down as the head of a Foundation looking into industrial dumping. This is causing major problems because that particular post is being slated for Kudo, another top cop readying to retire. And Kudo will have nowhere to go if Osakabe doesn't relinquish his job.
It's very strange because these temporary jobs aren't meant to be permanent and doesn't come with many perks other than an office and company car. Futawatari is now tasked with talking to Osakabe and just plain telling him he must go. This is a difficult task because in Japanese culture one does not simply give commands to a superior officer, even one retired. After some effort Futawatari does manage to catch Osakabe at home and politely addresses the issue to Osakabe but Osakabe simply dismisses him.
Futawatari decides to investigate further to find the reason for this refusal and talks to one of his former academy classmates (Maejima) who was also Osakabe's former subordinate. They both kind of beat around the bushes and drift into cop talk but eventually Maejima mentions that Osakabe's daughter Megu is getting married. He also lets slip that something bad had happened to Megu.
Futawatari does some more digging the next day and soon finds out that Megu was raped by a serial rapist who did not ejaculate and left no physical evidence. He now theorizes that Osakabe is not retiring because he wants to solve the case before he completely retires. He once again forces a meeting with Osakabe but Osakabe merely says the case will be solved soon.
The problem of the succession of Osakabe's position is suddenly solved when Kudo announces he is completely retiring due to bad health and Futawatari is taken off the case. Several months pass and Osakabe suddenly appears at headquarters to announce he is retiring. Futawatari chases Osakabe to his car to get an explanation but Osakabe merely ignores him. Futawatari notices that Osakabe's chauffeur is different.
Futawatari puts his thinking hat on and finally realizes what happened (we are given a lot of clues). The chauffeur who was randomly assigned to Osakabe happened to be the serial rapist. Osakabe had slowly noticed that in his official visits to dumping sites all over the countryside the chauffeur had assiduously avoided all the rape sites. One of Osakabe's pet theories is that criminals avoid the site of their crimes. So he put his suspicion to the test by mapping his routes and occasionally dropping hints that evidence had been found. The chauffeur was thus mentally and systematically being pressured and scared by Osakabe's tactics. Eventually the chauffeur was so cowed that he committed suicide. This was the reason why Osakabe didn't want to retire, because he didn't want to lose his company car.
This novella reads like a good Twilight Zone episode. It's slow but cleverly written. We are given the clues but not really enough until we are given the final clue, then we can work everything out. The novella could have been shortened by half by omitting all the events that don't have anything to do with Osakabe but I don't mind too much.
2nd novella is that great. It's about an inspector (Sone) being reported to Internal Affairs for an affair with a mama-san, something that's not kosher and would prevent Sone from ever getting promoted. The reader is led into a lot of dead ends and the mystery is suddenly revealed when the investigator getting a brain wave at the end.
The 3rd story is about a young female police officer (Hirano) who goes missing. The story follows a female Section Chief (Nanao) who feels it's her duty to look for her. The plot leads the reader through a lot of mental dead ends that goes through the mind of Nanao. Hirano is finally found and Nanao figures out why.
I declined to read the 4th story and dnf'd the book. The entire book is slow going and puts the reader through a lot of mental gymnastics that's supposed to be entertaining or thought provoking but fails. I enjoyed the first novella but didn't like the changes in POV as I'd gotten used to the first guy. Everything is supposed to be mysterious but doesn't really meet the threshold.
Season of Shadows: This is a slow methodical story. For the first 50% of the story, I didn't know what to think of it and even thought about dnf'ing it. Futawatari is the head of Personnel at Prefecture D. After a long career as a cop he's now an administrator, tasked with promotion and shuffling high level cops around (demotions and transfers). And apparently in Japan, when top cops retire they are given short term board positions or window dressing executive positions at foundations or industry associations before fully retiring.
Now for some reason former chief of the Criminal Division Osakabe is refusing to step down as the head of a Foundation looking into industrial dumping. This is causing major problems because that particular post is being slated for Kudo, another top cop readying to retire. And Kudo will have nowhere to go if Osakabe doesn't relinquish his job.
It's very strange because these temporary jobs aren't meant to be permanent and doesn't come with many perks other than an office and company car. Futawatari is now tasked with talking to Osakabe and just plain telling him he must go. This is a difficult task because in Japanese culture one does not simply give commands to a superior officer, even one retired. After some effort Futawatari does manage to catch Osakabe at home and politely addresses the issue to Osakabe but Osakabe simply dismisses him.
Futawatari decides to investigate further to find the reason for this refusal and talks to one of his former academy classmates (Maejima) who was also Osakabe's former subordinate. They both kind of beat around the bushes and drift into cop talk but eventually Maejima mentions that Osakabe's daughter Megu is getting married. He also lets slip that something bad had happened to Megu.
Futawatari does some more digging the next day and soon finds out that Megu was raped by a serial rapist who did not ejaculate and left no physical evidence. He now theorizes that Osakabe is not retiring because he wants to solve the case before he completely retires. He once again forces a meeting with Osakabe but Osakabe merely says the case will be solved soon.
The problem of the succession of Osakabe's position is suddenly solved when Kudo announces he is completely retiring due to bad health and Futawatari is taken off the case. Several months pass and Osakabe suddenly appears at headquarters to announce he is retiring. Futawatari chases Osakabe to his car to get an explanation but Osakabe merely ignores him. Futawatari notices that Osakabe's chauffeur is different.
Futawatari puts his thinking hat on and finally realizes what happened (we are given a lot of clues). The chauffeur who was randomly assigned to Osakabe happened to be the serial rapist. Osakabe had slowly noticed that in his official visits to dumping sites all over the countryside the chauffeur had assiduously avoided all the rape sites. One of Osakabe's pet theories is that criminals avoid the site of their crimes. So he put his suspicion to the test by mapping his routes and occasionally dropping hints that evidence had been found. The chauffeur was thus mentally and systematically being pressured and scared by Osakabe's tactics. Eventually the chauffeur was so cowed that he committed suicide. This was the reason why Osakabe didn't want to retire, because he didn't want to lose his company car.
This novella reads like a good Twilight Zone episode. It's slow but cleverly written. We are given the clues but not really enough until we are given the final clue, then we can work everything out. The novella could have been shortened by half by omitting all the events that don't have anything to do with Osakabe but I don't mind too much.
2nd novella is that great. It's about an inspector (Sone) being reported to Internal Affairs for an affair with a mama-san, something that's not kosher and would prevent Sone from ever getting promoted. The reader is led into a lot of dead ends and the mystery is suddenly revealed when the investigator getting a brain wave at the end.
The 3rd story is about a young female police officer (Hirano) who goes missing. The story follows a female Section Chief (Nanao) who feels it's her duty to look for her. The plot leads the reader through a lot of mental dead ends that goes through the mind of Nanao. Hirano is finally found and Nanao figures out why.
I declined to read the 4th story and dnf'd the book. The entire book is slow going and puts the reader through a lot of mental gymnastics that's supposed to be entertaining or thought provoking but fails. I enjoyed the first novella but didn't like the changes in POV as I'd gotten used to the first guy. Everything is supposed to be mysterious but doesn't really meet the threshold.
April 15, 2024
8.2/10
Prefecture D: Four Novellas is set in the same world as Yokoyama’s Six Four novel. the stories aren’t cops and robbers stories or stories about a serial killer on the loose. Rather, they are about the inner workings of a police department. I had not read Six Four before reading this set of novellas so I am unable to compare them to the novel, but I am able to say that they are well worth the read and are fine as a standalone book.
In Season of Shadows Officer Futawatari is tasked with the department’s yearly transfers. He does his job well and is well regarded by his colleagues. This year, however, Futawatari has been tasked with finding out why the chief of the illegal dumping unit, Osakabe, isn’t retiring. Three years prior Osakabe made a handshake deal to run the department for three years only. His refusal to step down throws a huge wrench in the year’s transfers and is unheard of within the department.
Osakabe is a veteran detective who only had two crimes go unsolved during his time. One of them being the murder of a young office worker. Does Osakabe’s refusal to retire have something to do with him wanting to solve that one case, holding on to power as long as he can, or so he can still be a chief when his daughter gets married in a few months time? Read and find out. Season of Shadow shows the grinding work that police personnel do 24/7. A years old case may be put on the back burner but that doesn’t mean that the case is forgotten about. I very much enjoyed this story. It gives the reader a glimpse into the life of a Japanese bureaucrat and police station.
In Cry of the Earth Takayoshi Shindo’s recent stomach ulcer treatment prevented him from being transferred to the position of caption of a small station. He arrives at work and learns that a letter alleging one of his coworkers, Sone, has been patronizing a brother in the red light district. Shindo has been tasked with looking into the matter. Is there any truth to it? Or is this someone starting a rumor that could potentially jeopardize Sone’s career? Sone is a hardworking detective who has spent the last 17 years as a detective. Sure, he doesn’t have what it takes to be a great captain, but there are plenty out there who were promoted who also don’t. Shindo’s investigation into the matter leaves him wondering who is telling the truth and who is not, who to trust, and whether he should let mistakes slide. Futawatri makes an appearance in this story as well.
I enjoyed Cry of the Earth because it not only focuses on the life of members of a Japanese police department but also focuses on human emotions.
In Blacklines, Officer Mizuho Hirano hasn’t shown up for work. This is very out of the ordinary for her. Her superior, Tomoko Nanao, is tasked with finding out what happened and why Hirano isn’t at work. Hirano is part of the forensics team and has recently helped facilitate the arrest of a man in a motorcycle gang. Her name and face were in the newspaper article about the arrest. Could she have fallen prey to a plot for revenge, or is there something else afoot? Blacklines speaks at length about the sexism and hurdles that female police officers in Japan went through (and presumably still go through). It also speaks on the sacrifices that police officers make regarding their families in order to be good at their jobs. Very good story.
Finally, in Briefcase, Masaki Tsuge is a liaison officer between the media and the force. He gets word that Assemblyman Ukai will soon be asking a question at an upcoming event that will be like a bomb going off for the police. Tsuge now has to find out, by whatever means, what this question is or to stop Ukai. Briefcase is a good story but one that just frustrates the reader. Backstabbing is a prominent theme in this story as well as pushing others down so you can get ahead.
In all, Prefecture D: For Novellas, was a great introduction to Hideo Yokoyama. I enjoyed that the stories were not about a crazed serial killer on the loose but rather about the inner workings of a police department. I look forward to reading Six Four.
Prefecture D: Four Novellas is set in the same world as Yokoyama’s Six Four novel. the stories aren’t cops and robbers stories or stories about a serial killer on the loose. Rather, they are about the inner workings of a police department. I had not read Six Four before reading this set of novellas so I am unable to compare them to the novel, but I am able to say that they are well worth the read and are fine as a standalone book.
In Season of Shadows Officer Futawatari is tasked with the department’s yearly transfers. He does his job well and is well regarded by his colleagues. This year, however, Futawatari has been tasked with finding out why the chief of the illegal dumping unit, Osakabe, isn’t retiring. Three years prior Osakabe made a handshake deal to run the department for three years only. His refusal to step down throws a huge wrench in the year’s transfers and is unheard of within the department.
Osakabe is a veteran detective who only had two crimes go unsolved during his time. One of them being the murder of a young office worker. Does Osakabe’s refusal to retire have something to do with him wanting to solve that one case, holding on to power as long as he can, or so he can still be a chief when his daughter gets married in a few months time? Read and find out. Season of Shadow shows the grinding work that police personnel do 24/7. A years old case may be put on the back burner but that doesn’t mean that the case is forgotten about. I very much enjoyed this story. It gives the reader a glimpse into the life of a Japanese bureaucrat and police station.
In Cry of the Earth Takayoshi Shindo’s recent stomach ulcer treatment prevented him from being transferred to the position of caption of a small station. He arrives at work and learns that a letter alleging one of his coworkers, Sone, has been patronizing a brother in the red light district. Shindo has been tasked with looking into the matter. Is there any truth to it? Or is this someone starting a rumor that could potentially jeopardize Sone’s career? Sone is a hardworking detective who has spent the last 17 years as a detective. Sure, he doesn’t have what it takes to be a great captain, but there are plenty out there who were promoted who also don’t. Shindo’s investigation into the matter leaves him wondering who is telling the truth and who is not, who to trust, and whether he should let mistakes slide. Futawatri makes an appearance in this story as well.
I enjoyed Cry of the Earth because it not only focuses on the life of members of a Japanese police department but also focuses on human emotions.
In Blacklines, Officer Mizuho Hirano hasn’t shown up for work. This is very out of the ordinary for her. Her superior, Tomoko Nanao, is tasked with finding out what happened and why Hirano isn’t at work. Hirano is part of the forensics team and has recently helped facilitate the arrest of a man in a motorcycle gang. Her name and face were in the newspaper article about the arrest. Could she have fallen prey to a plot for revenge, or is there something else afoot? Blacklines speaks at length about the sexism and hurdles that female police officers in Japan went through (and presumably still go through). It also speaks on the sacrifices that police officers make regarding their families in order to be good at their jobs. Very good story.
Finally, in Briefcase, Masaki Tsuge is a liaison officer between the media and the force. He gets word that Assemblyman Ukai will soon be asking a question at an upcoming event that will be like a bomb going off for the police. Tsuge now has to find out, by whatever means, what this question is or to stop Ukai. Briefcase is a good story but one that just frustrates the reader. Backstabbing is a prominent theme in this story as well as pushing others down so you can get ahead.
In all, Prefecture D: For Novellas, was a great introduction to Hideo Yokoyama. I enjoyed that the stories were not about a crazed serial killer on the loose but rather about the inner workings of a police department. I look forward to reading Six Four.
August 9, 2019
Review from Asia Thrills - https://asiathrills.com/prefecture-d-...
Many Japanese magazines – far more than in the West – regularly publish short stories, providing a lucrative source of income for fiction writers. Check out the Wikipedia entries for Japanese crime writers, and the chances are that, as well as their novels, they have also published some collections of short stories.
An excellent example is my favorite Japanese crime writer Keigo Higashino. His inspired literary creation “Detective” Galileo actually began life in a long series of short stories, and only later appeared in novels.
So, with Hideo Yokoyama’s “Prefecture D,” it is great to see an English publisher issue a collection of Japanese short crime stories. I hope this wonderful book is the first of many.
“Prefecture D” was published in Japan in 1998 as “Kage no Kisetsu” (陰の季節– “Season of Shadows”). It is essentially a forerunner to his stupendous novel “Six Four,” which also focuses on the tensions and infighting of the police in the anonymous Prefecture D.
It comprises four shortish stories. Perhaps novella is a better word, as each consists of at least 45 pages. And each tells the story of a senior police officer confronted with a bureaucratic nightmare that could erupt into a major scandal.
Yokoyama is a master at this kind of detail, and along the way we learn hugely about the tensions that seem to lie just below the surface of the world of Japanese law enforcement. As I commented in my review of “Six Four,” it is difficult to understand how Japan maintains such a low crime rate when the police seem to spend most of their time fighting and undermining each other.
All four stories are good, though my favorite was the first, “Season of Shadows,” where a member of the police personnel department is charged with prying a senior officer from his position. Unfortunately, the officer is hiding a traumatic secret, and refuses to budge.
If you have not read “Six Four,” then you should read that first. It is utterly compelling. But then you will surely relish the chance to dive further into the police bureaucracy of Prefecture D, and this new book is your opportunity.
Let us hope that this is the first of many more collections of Japanese crime short stories. My own personal hope is for a publisher to take a chance on Higashino’s “Detective” Galileo short stories, which are truly excellent.
Many Japanese magazines – far more than in the West – regularly publish short stories, providing a lucrative source of income for fiction writers. Check out the Wikipedia entries for Japanese crime writers, and the chances are that, as well as their novels, they have also published some collections of short stories.
An excellent example is my favorite Japanese crime writer Keigo Higashino. His inspired literary creation “Detective” Galileo actually began life in a long series of short stories, and only later appeared in novels.
So, with Hideo Yokoyama’s “Prefecture D,” it is great to see an English publisher issue a collection of Japanese short crime stories. I hope this wonderful book is the first of many.
“Prefecture D” was published in Japan in 1998 as “Kage no Kisetsu” (陰の季節– “Season of Shadows”). It is essentially a forerunner to his stupendous novel “Six Four,” which also focuses on the tensions and infighting of the police in the anonymous Prefecture D.
It comprises four shortish stories. Perhaps novella is a better word, as each consists of at least 45 pages. And each tells the story of a senior police officer confronted with a bureaucratic nightmare that could erupt into a major scandal.
Yokoyama is a master at this kind of detail, and along the way we learn hugely about the tensions that seem to lie just below the surface of the world of Japanese law enforcement. As I commented in my review of “Six Four,” it is difficult to understand how Japan maintains such a low crime rate when the police seem to spend most of their time fighting and undermining each other.
All four stories are good, though my favorite was the first, “Season of Shadows,” where a member of the police personnel department is charged with prying a senior officer from his position. Unfortunately, the officer is hiding a traumatic secret, and refuses to budge.
If you have not read “Six Four,” then you should read that first. It is utterly compelling. But then you will surely relish the chance to dive further into the police bureaucracy of Prefecture D, and this new book is your opportunity.
Let us hope that this is the first of many more collections of Japanese crime short stories. My own personal hope is for a publisher to take a chance on Higashino’s “Detective” Galileo short stories, which are truly excellent.
October 23, 2020
Who would have thought that solving crimes could be so mundane. Prefecture D is a book by Hideo Yokoyama, containing 217 pages, originally published in Japan 1998 then translated in March 21st 2019 by Riverrun. Prefecture D’s stories walked the thin line between average and boring throughout my time reading it.
There are four different protagonists with each story, who all work for the same police precinct but deal with different situations: A senior officer refusing to retire turns out to be linked with the investigation of a murder, an attempt at “playing the hero” to recieve a promotion ends up in failure, a missing female officer is caused by sexism in the workplace, and a ploy to gain political advantage at the time of an election. Prefecture D shows a different kind of crime stories that I’m used to reading, it focuses more on the daily routines of police officers, and the only high stakes I recognized in the book seemed to be someone getting fired for failing to follow instructions or being forever stuck in a department the character isn’t fond of. The Japanese have a culture where they live and die by the hierarchy ingrained in their society, and it can be seen many times throughout the book; Polite passive-aggressiveness seems to be the only language the characters in these stories speak, all for the sake of being formal and not offending their superior, analyzing information and surroundings takes priority when it comes to investigations, god-forbid someone be direct without permission.
Prefecture D is not your average crime novel, by showing how average crime solving is. I feel that if I had previous knowledge about the different ranks and departments in the Japanese police force, maybe the plot would be less confusing for me to understand. My favourite part of the book is when the protagonists show disdain towards their co-worker’s stupid decisions or regret their life choices, for example: Tsuge, fourth story protagonist, wonders if his wife being related to his very successful boss at the time was a subconscious reason for him marrying her, and now realizes that “the gamble hadn’t paid off”; Futawatari cursing at his superiors in his mind for getting in the way of his work or having to clean up their messes, I find their disappointment amusing and relatable. I would recommend this book to someone who’s interested in the day-to-day lives of police officers or those who enjoy learning more about the japanese working culture.
There are four different protagonists with each story, who all work for the same police precinct but deal with different situations: A senior officer refusing to retire turns out to be linked with the investigation of a murder, an attempt at “playing the hero” to recieve a promotion ends up in failure, a missing female officer is caused by sexism in the workplace, and a ploy to gain political advantage at the time of an election. Prefecture D shows a different kind of crime stories that I’m used to reading, it focuses more on the daily routines of police officers, and the only high stakes I recognized in the book seemed to be someone getting fired for failing to follow instructions or being forever stuck in a department the character isn’t fond of. The Japanese have a culture where they live and die by the hierarchy ingrained in their society, and it can be seen many times throughout the book; Polite passive-aggressiveness seems to be the only language the characters in these stories speak, all for the sake of being formal and not offending their superior, analyzing information and surroundings takes priority when it comes to investigations, god-forbid someone be direct without permission.
Prefecture D is not your average crime novel, by showing how average crime solving is. I feel that if I had previous knowledge about the different ranks and departments in the Japanese police force, maybe the plot would be less confusing for me to understand. My favourite part of the book is when the protagonists show disdain towards their co-worker’s stupid decisions or regret their life choices, for example: Tsuge, fourth story protagonist, wonders if his wife being related to his very successful boss at the time was a subconscious reason for him marrying her, and now realizes that “the gamble hadn’t paid off”; Futawatari cursing at his superiors in his mind for getting in the way of his work or having to clean up their messes, I find their disappointment amusing and relatable. I would recommend this book to someone who’s interested in the day-to-day lives of police officers or those who enjoy learning more about the japanese working culture.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2021
4 stories highlighting the labyrinthine structure and ruthlessly competitive culture within the Japanese police system. This book is really for people with an interest in the Japanese way of life as all the stories revolve around internal inquiries launched much more to keep the reputation of the police intact in the eyes of the press and the general public than to find out the truth.
Through the first story I discovered that when high-ranking policemen retire, they are automatically allocated an executive position within a firm eager to have a good relationship with the police. The flattering position comes with all sorts of perks like a car with a chauffeur, but is not a permanent appointment and must be relinquished within 3 to 6 years so that the next in line can "inherit" this sinecure. In "Season of Shadows", Inspector Futawatari is assigned the unenviable task of forcing one of his venerable predecessors to give up his executive position against his will. What makes the assignment difficult is that there is no precedent for Chief Osakabe's disregard of the customary procedures. Eventually Futawatari finds out that Osakabe's motivation was to have the means to catch the man who raped his own daughter, and was the only important criminal he'd failed to nab during his career.
In "Cry of the earth", Shindo has to investigate a colleague accused in an anonymous letter of having an inappropriate relationship with a high class prostitute. Only too late does Shindo realize that the officer in question, Sone, wrote the letter himself in a desperate attempt to draw attention to himself and thus secure a much desired promotion. Feeling sorry for the guy, Shindo turns a blind eye and is in turn denied promotion when his superior finds out that he failed to take action against Sone.
"Black Lines" is about a young female officer who goes missing the day after she was publicly commended for her role in arresting a petty criminal. It turns out that she skipped town because her boss had leaned on her to cheat in order to support his doctored version of the sequence of events leading to the arrest. This story pinpoints the unbelievable degree of sexism still prevalent Japanese society.
"Briefcase" is to me the least memorable of the stories because I found its plot hardest to follow. It's about how a politician takes revenge on an officer but the minutiae of the case escaped me.
Through the first story I discovered that when high-ranking policemen retire, they are automatically allocated an executive position within a firm eager to have a good relationship with the police. The flattering position comes with all sorts of perks like a car with a chauffeur, but is not a permanent appointment and must be relinquished within 3 to 6 years so that the next in line can "inherit" this sinecure. In "Season of Shadows", Inspector Futawatari is assigned the unenviable task of forcing one of his venerable predecessors to give up his executive position against his will. What makes the assignment difficult is that there is no precedent for Chief Osakabe's disregard of the customary procedures. Eventually Futawatari finds out that Osakabe's motivation was to have the means to catch the man who raped his own daughter, and was the only important criminal he'd failed to nab during his career.
In "Cry of the earth", Shindo has to investigate a colleague accused in an anonymous letter of having an inappropriate relationship with a high class prostitute. Only too late does Shindo realize that the officer in question, Sone, wrote the letter himself in a desperate attempt to draw attention to himself and thus secure a much desired promotion. Feeling sorry for the guy, Shindo turns a blind eye and is in turn denied promotion when his superior finds out that he failed to take action against Sone.
"Black Lines" is about a young female officer who goes missing the day after she was publicly commended for her role in arresting a petty criminal. It turns out that she skipped town because her boss had leaned on her to cheat in order to support his doctored version of the sequence of events leading to the arrest. This story pinpoints the unbelievable degree of sexism still prevalent Japanese society.
"Briefcase" is to me the least memorable of the stories because I found its plot hardest to follow. It's about how a politician takes revenge on an officer but the minutiae of the case escaped me.
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