Fifty Years of “Japan Sinks”: The Bestselling Disaster Novel that Defined an Era

“The original title was Japan Destroyed,” says Hamai Takeshi, the book’s editor. On the table in front of him are the two volumes of Japan Sinks in the Kappa Novels edition, published by Kōbunsha.

The Kadokawa paperback edition of Japan Sinks.

Komatsu Sakyō (right) with his editor, Hamai Takeshi. The two men chartered a plane and flew around Australia on a research trip for the intended sequel. (Courtesy Hamai Takeshi)

Komatsu Sakyō’s autobiography.