Keiichiro Hirano’s *A Certain Man* Unravels Identity Through a Lawyer’s Quest
Keiichiro Hirano, a renowned Japanese author, has released a new novel titled A Certain Man in 2025. Published by Hachette, the book follows Akira Kido, a lawyer uncovering the truth about a man living under a false identity. At its core, the story examines how identity is shaped by personal history and societal perceptions.
Hirano challenges readers to look beyond labels, arguing that people are more than just their ethnicity or nationality. The novel also confronts Japan’s unresolved history of discrimination, particularly against Koreans, by referencing events like the 1923 Kantō Massacre.
The plot centres on Akira Kido, a lawyer assisting Rié, the widow of a man named Daisuke. After Daisuke’s death, Rié discovers he was not who he claimed to be. As Kido digs into the impostor’s past, the story explores how identity is layered and fluid, rather than fixed.
Hirano weaves in the concept of inaji—a sense of local rootedness—while questioning whether a single label can ever fully define a person. The novel critiques Japan’s treatment of Korean residents, pointing to historical violence like the 1923 Kantō Massacre, where thousands of Koreans were killed. Hirano suggests that society’s failure to reconcile with this past continues to fuel division. Through Kido’s investigation, the book asks readers to consider the weight of personal history. Hirano believes people carry their experiences with them, shaping how others see them. By focusing on Kido’s struggles, the author encourages empathy rather than quick judgement based on background or origin.
A Certain Man presents identity as something complex, shaped by both individual choices and societal forces. The novel ties historical injustices to present-day tensions, showing how unaddressed discrimination lingers. Hirano’s work pushes readers to recognise the many facets of a person before reducing them to a single category.
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