{
  "id": 5509981,
  "title": "391 books by well-known authors missing from libraries in southwestern Japan city",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/391-books-by-well-known-authors-missing-from-libraries-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T07:09:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260904/p2a/00m/0na/016000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nAccording 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.\n\nThe 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.",
  "summary": "KITAKYUSHU -- The Kitakyushu Municipal Board of Education reported 391 paperback books missing from two local public libraries on Sept. 3, and both fa",
  "key_points": [
    "391 paperback books missing from two Kitakyushu libraries",
    "Missing books by Minoru Inaba, Jiro Akagawa, Keigo Higashino",
    "Libraries collaborating with police to improve security"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The large-scale theft of popular authors' books from two public libraries in Kitakyushu likely undermines public trust in library security and may prompt reevaluation of protection measures.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}