[Dispatch=Lee Myung-joo] Japanese author Keigo Higashino has passed away. He was 68 years old.

Publisher Kodansha announced Higashino's death on the 27th. "Higashino passed away on the 23rd in the early morning from colon cancer," the publisher said.

His funeral was held as a private family ceremony. An official stated, "We decided not to accept condolences. Information about a memorial service will be provided at a later date."

Higashino was a mystery novelist representing Japan and beyond across Asia. After debuting with the novel "After School" in 1985, he wrote 106 works including new publications.

His representative works include "Devotion of Suspect X," "Twilight," "The Miracle of the Namiya General Store," "Classmate," "Wandering Blade," "Secret," and "Unrequited Love."

He won major prizes in Japanese literary circles. He received awards including the Mystery Writers of Japan Award, the Naoki Prize, the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize, and the Kikuchi Kan Prize.

Meanwhile, Higashino left behind a new work titled "Memory of Eternity." It is scheduled to be published on the 5th of next month.

<Photo source=Aladin>