INSPECTOR IMANISHI INVESTIGATES<i> By Seicho Matsumoto (Soho: $9.95) </i>

The foremost mystery writer in Japan, Seicho Matsumoto has published more than 450 books; “Inspector Imanishi” first appeared as a magazine serial, then as a novel in 1961, and sold more than 4.5 million copies. Eitaro Imanishi, the title character, is an unassuming but respected cop in Tokyo’s murder division. A low-key, understated character in the best American pulp tradition, he also writes haiku and raises bonsai (hobbies it’s difficult to imagine Sam Spade pursuing). When a body mysteriously appears in the Tokyo railway yard, Imanishi begins a curious chase that takes him from the posh hangouts of the avant-garde Nouveau Group to a spa in rural Honshu. In addition to being a good whodunit, “Inspector” offers a vivid portrait of the confused Japanese culture of the early ‘60s: The dignified old abacus maker/poet/calligrapher Imanishi encounters at the hot springs and the affected, Westernized artists of the Nouveau Group represent two strains that continue to divide Japanese society.