Kodansha Bunko Launches "STORY IN POCKET" Series with Works by Keigo Higashino, Jiro Akagawa, and More, Priced at 550 Yen

Kodansha Bunko announced the launch of its new "STORY IN POCKET" series, featuring selected short works by representative authors, re-edited into compact, portable paperback editions. The first two titles, "Chiisana Koi no Monogatari" by Keigo Higashino and "Ashita no Yorimichi" by Jiro Akagawa, will be released on April 15, 2026. Each book is priced at 550 yen (tax included). Future releases include Takeshi Shiota's "Kiten" in May and Yukito Ayatsuji's "Kokoro no Yami" in June. The series plans to publish 1-2 books monthly from July, featuring authors such as Jun Ikeido, Mieko Kawakami, Mizuki Tsujimura, Yu Nagira, Miyuki Miyabe, Haruki Murakami, and Sayaka Murata. Keigo Higashino, born in Osaka in 1958, debuted in 1985 and has received numerous literary awards, including the Edogawa Ranpo Prize, Mystery Writers of Japan Award, Naoki Prize, and Noma Publishing Culture Award. Jiro Akagawa, born in Fukuoka in 1948, debuted in 1976 and has received the All Yomimono Mystery Fiction Newcomer's Prize, Japan Mystery Literature Award, and Eiji Yoshikawa Literary Prize.