A Lost Paradise

A Lost Paradise (失楽園) is 1997 Japanese novel by author Junichi Watanabe. It tells the story of a 54-year-old married former magazine editor, his affair with a 37-year-old married typesetter and their double-suicide. The couple, Kūki and Rinko, are modeled after the famous case of Sada Abe.

The book became a bestseller throughout Asia, selling 3 million copies in Japan. Shitsurakuen became a slang word for having an affair. It was first serialized in the business newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun in 1995. The book was made into a film and a TV drama the same year. The film Lost Paradise was nominated for 13 Japan Academy Prizes winning one with Hitomi Kuroki for lead actress.