In the corner of a busy cafe in Tokyo, three men meet over coffee. But the trio of Goto, Takumi, and Sasaki are not who they seem—they are rehearsing carefully scripted roles in a property scam. With real estate values soaring in the city, schemes to make a quick profit are on the rise.
Tokyo Swindlers pulls back the curtain on the high-stakes world of land fraud in Japan—where deception is an art, and each person has a role to play. The crime thriller was written by Ko Shinjo and originally published in 2019. The novel’s English translation by Charles de Wolf hits the shelves following the global success of the Netflix series of the same name. Inspired by actual events in the run-up to the Olympic Games (the trial for which is still playing out), the book reimagines the crime and the motivations of those behind it.
While conducting negotiations with the real estate agency Mike Home, Goto plays the part of the broker, Takumi acts as the seller’s agent, and Sasaki impersonates the seller of the property. Behind the scenes, Takeshita and Reiko round out the team, scouting properties and coordinating impersonators. The infamous Harrison Yamanaka is the mastermind of the production:
Harrison Yamanaka never seemed to have had enough of conning people but the likes of such a man, the essence of the swindler having seeped into the very marrow of their bones, were surely few and far between.
Yamanaka is a calculating criminal with a sordid past. The Mike Home deal is just the beginning, and if they succeed, he plans to direct the group’s focus to an even more lucrative project. Just one slipup could expose the whole ruse, so he handpicked the team based on their skills, which range from memorizing complex details to forging official documents. But what circumstances led each of them to apply their talents to criminal pursuits? Takumi thinks about his own path while looking at the night sky:
The stars hung scattered across the heavens, each one a radiance but all shining together. The flickering of stardust that had traveled unimaginable lengths of time to arrive here held him enthralled for as long as he gazed. How many overlapping coincidences had brought him to this place?
Assigned to the investigation is Tatsu, a detective nearing retirement. Years of stress have taken a toll on him, and at the end of his career, his boss hands him a file on the land swindlers. He becomes absorbed in the details, fully aware of the difficult road ahead of him: the case is complicated, and he has limited time and resources at his disposal.
Fraud cases involving land swindlers were difficult to investigate. In the already murky real estate business, where people of unknown background roam freely, there were many stakeholders, and transactions were complex. With everyone claiming to be a victim, it was difficult to discern who the real victims were.
Many of the scenes take place in meeting rooms, and one noticeable aspect of the dialogue is Goto’s dialect which livens up otherwise tedious scenes of document verification and contract negotiations. Some of his colorful lines, rendered in the English translation include:
“Can’t ya hurry it up now!! We’ve got no time for this! My train’s not about to wait ya know…”
and
“It’s none o’ yer business, so shut it!”
The Tokyo real estate market provides an exciting backdrop for the action. Sites for development are at a premium, and buyers and sellers must act quickly to secure the best properties. The city is preparing to reinvent itself again, just as it has done many times throughout its history. In this competitive market, the character of real estate developer Aoyagi has his own motivations for taking risks when acquiring properties.
In the Edo period, some two to three hundred years ago, the entire area beyond the tracks had been under water. The land was later reclaimed, and the scent and sound of sea and shore had ceased. Today, there were no waves to be seen, only artificial landscapes completely obstructing the view. Aoyagi was made keenly aware of the limitless potential of the city, as it continued to develop.
With the fraudsters, detectives, and real estate developers in place, will the curtain come up on the Tokyo Swindlers before they are able to carry out their biggest heist yet?