Arrested for a Late Manuscript: The Editor Who 'Arrested' Seicho Matsumoto

Arrested for a Late Manuscript: Seicho Matsumoto's 'Tokyo Express'

Seicho Matsumoto's classic mystery 'Tokyo Express' (originally 'Points and Lines') was a sensation, but its creation was nearly derailed by the author's chronic lateness. His editor at the Japan Travel Bureau's magazine, Ayako Totsuka, resorted to extreme measures: tracking him down via flight manifests and threatening arrest upon arrival. The novel, a meticulous puzzle of train timetables and alibis, launched Matsumoto's career and sold over a million copies, despite—or perhaps because of—the editor's draconian tactics.