391 books by well-known authors missing from libraries in southwestern Japan city
KITAKYUSHU -- The Kitakyushu Municipal Board of Education reported 391 paperback books missing from two local public libraries on Sept. 3, and both fa
On September 3, the Kitakyushu Municipal Board of Education revealed that 391 paperback books are missing from two public libraries in Kitakyushu, southwestern Japan. The missing books have been reported as stolen to the local police. Central Library in Kitakyushu's Kokurakita Ward and Tobata Library in Tobata Ward are the affected facilities.
According to Central Library officials, the missing books are all works by well-known novelists. Specifically, 96 books are by Minoru Inaba, 60 by Jiro Akagawa, and 39 by Keigo Higashino. The problem was first detected on August 6 after a resident attempted to reserve a novel by Inaba, only to find it missing from the shelves. From August 7 to 26, library officials inspected all 14 library facilities in Kitakyushu and confirmed that the 391 books were missing without any lending procedures being followed.
The books are believed to be highly likely stolen. Both libraries are collaborating with the police to enhance security measures, such as increasing patrols of paperback sections by security guards and staff.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
