Tokyo Swindlers

By Shinjo Ko
Translated by Charles De Wolf

Shueisha (2024)
ISBN-13: 978-1611720846

Review by Shaun English

Adaptations of anything are often tricky businesses, with one eye on the huge commercial potential of recreating works onto a different medium, but with much scrutiny of the media and the following created by original work. The Netflix show Jimenshi-tachi, or Tokyo Swindlers, was released in 2024, five years after the publication of the homonymous book by Shinjo Ko from which it was adapted . Watching/reading both at the same time was the mistake I made, but since this the review of the book, I will reduce talking about the Netflix adaptation to only a reference point, because for me, that is what this show deserved anyway – with the exception of Lily Franky, one of my favourite actors and writers and Anthony from the comedy group Matenro, who portrayed Orochi (I frequently see him on Japanese variety shows, so this was interesting to watch).

Contrary to the usual fast-paced, aggressive crime thrillers belched out by Netflix, Shinjo Ko’s novel is a sobering, patient and meticulous study of society and the characters in it. Central to the novel is Takumi, a swindler of four years, with a backstory comparable to something Dazai Osamu could come up with. And, whilst some completely disregard backstories as just meaningless character building, readers should pay attention to this one, because not only does it come early, but is also extremely relevant to the story. Harrison Yamanaka is the ringleader, a calm and calculating individual never giving away his true intentions or his composure, and their group consists of diverse and entertaining characters, from the recluse with his own backstory Nagai, to the timid comic-relief-type guy, Orochi. This group are land scammers, and through forgery, deception and identity theft, they target businesses for their money, and take advantage of their naivety, vagueness in the Japanese legal system, and pressure from the Japanese corporate mindset.

Not only is the book a deep and complex look at how these scammers operate, with the level of research and dedication extremely respectable, it is also a greater look at Japanese society and its many deep-rooted flaws. Many of the characters, even those who operate just as background characters, are victims of an old and outdated system, one which prioritises collective over individuals, but benefits only the few at the top. Many are in debt, or in difficult marriages, or struggle under Japan’s strict and cut-throat work culture and expectation, no matter if you are a swindler, salaryman, millionaire or seller. What makes these characters interesting is that they all have something they hide, whether it be literally, such as Reiko and Nagai with their appearances, or in a deeper sense, like Takumi’s family background or Kawai with her relationships. They all suffer somewhat in an unforgiving world where they were dealt nothing but a bad hand, something which, I think, resonates with the average Japanese reader living in an intensely shame-driven society.

Take Tatsu, the veteran detective. Whilst many might believe he should be a character we should follow as the “protagonist” due to his profession and therefore perceived moral standing compared to others, the truth is he is he effectively consumes himself in his work, taking little part in his family life, straining their relationships, a very common and typical stereotype of the Japanese white-collar worker. This morally nuanced standpoint, whilst definitely a much more respectable character, is still someone affected deeply by the flawed mindset of Japanese society, past and present.

When I watched the Netflix series, I felt it was your typical action thriller inseparable from its genre which cultivated successful shows, such as an Alice in Borderland to give an example. One of the things from the book missing from the Netflix show was the slow and careful worldbuilding. It was clearly deliberate that the story started from the climax of one major scam by the swindlers, because it helped me understand the stakes and environment within one short chapter, whilst feeling natural at the same time. Starting with one scam, some backstory and the progression to the real project of the story, the nun scam. Creating the status quo makes the shock of the next big scam much more impactful, as the series of events leading to and after are the climax similar to some of the most tense and thrilling chapters of other crime novels. The way the show deals with perspective was also interesting to me. It is very different from the book which has three main viewpoints, one from the view of Takumi, one from Tatsu, and one from Aoyagi. The way the three interpret similar situations - particularly between the scammers and Aoyagi, the scammed - made for much humour, suspense and plot progression and made my interest in the book spike upwards.

As mentioned the book was released in 2019 and, at that time, the vague memory of the 2017 Sekisui land scam was probably restored in some Japanese’s heads - a case where 5.5 billion yen was swindled by a fraud ring, led by a man called Uchida Mike, from the property development firm Sekisui House. 14 people were arrested in the following year, including Uchida, who was caught that November, and were recently ordered to pay 1 billion yen in reparations, as well as lengthy prison sentences. Of all the so-called “land scam” cases, this was by far the highest profile, due to the sheer amount of money involved. 5 billion yen is around 25 million pounds (the story in the bookspeaks of 10 billion yen), and only a handful of people were involved in the ring. They took advantage of some in Japan’s large elderly population, as well as pressure within the Sekisui company to succeed, shocking and unsettling the Japanese public, and making them question who or what to trust.

The characters and the name of the company are very, very similar to the real case – for example, the name of the house is Sekiyo which very much resemble Sekisui House. I would encourage readers to research more of the real life case to recognise the parallels with the book. After the novel’s commercial success, Netflix milked out the money in an average TV adaptation, but I still did enjoy the show if I removed the link between it and Shinjo’s masterpiece novel.