After the murder of Tracy leaves Bond emotionally broken and ineffective, M sends him to Japan on a diplomatic intelligence mission that might restore his usefulness. Japanese intelligence chief Tiger Tanaka offers the information Britain wants only if Bond undertakes a dangerous favour in return: eliminate a foreigner who has created a fortified estate where people are being drawn to their deaths.
The target is Ernst Stavro Blofeld living under another identity. Assisted by Kissy Suzuki and trained for an infiltration that requires him to pass through unfamiliar social and physical terrain, Bond enters the estate for a final confrontation. The novel places the personal end of the Blofeld trilogy within postwar Japan, reflecting Western fascination with the country’s rapid reconstruction, intelligence alliances and cultural change.
