Tokuya Higashigawa is a Japanese mystery novelist whose work has served as the source material for numerous adaptations across different media, including the anime series The Dinner Table Detective. Born in 1968 in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, Higashigawa graduated from the law faculty of Okayama University before entering the workforce. His career path was unconventional; after working for a glass bottle company, he left his job at the age of 26 and spent the following eight years working part-time while pursuing his writing ambitions. He made his literary debut in 2002 by winning the Kappa-One新人奖 for new writers with his novel Kagi o Kashimasu, marking the beginning of his professional career as a writer.

Higashigawa is recognized for several notable book series that blend traditional honkaku (orthodox) mystery elements with a distinctive comedic tone. Among his major series is the Ika-shi series, which began with his debut work and includes titles such as Kagi o Kashimasu and Koko ni Shitai o Sutenaide Kudasai. Another significant body of work is the Koi no Ike Gakuen Detective Club series, including Manabanai Tantei-tachi no Gakuen and its spin-off Hōkago wa Mystery to Tomo ni.

His most commercially successful work is The Dinner Table Detective series, which originated from short stories published in 2007 before being compiled into a collection released by Shogakukan in 2010. The series became a literary phenomenon; its first volume sold over 1.81 million copies and won the 2011 Honya Taisho award, which is based on votes from booksellers across Japan.

The popularity of The Dinner Table Detective led to multiple adaptations. A live-action television drama aired in 2011, followed by stage plays, live-action specials, and a film. An anime adaptation was produced by the studio Madhouse and directed by Mitsuyuki Masuhara. The series premiered in April 2025 on Fuji TV’s noitaminA programming block and began streaming globally on Amazon Prime Video shortly thereafter.

Beyond this franchise, Higashigawa’s broader body of work has been frequently adapted for television and film. Other titles, such as Mō Yūkai Nante Shinai, were also made into films. Throughout his career, Higashigawa has maintained a consistent artistic identity as a writer of humorous mysteries, a style that distinguishes his work within the genre. His stories often feature witty dialogue and clever puzzle-solving, exemplified by the dynamic between the butler Kageyama and his employer, Detective Reiko Hōshō, in The Dinner Table Detective series. His success represents a significant contribution to popular mystery fiction in Japan, demonstrating the broad cross-media appeal of his work.