Akutagawa Prize

The Template:Nihongo is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes.<ref name=jtfukue /><ref name=mack>Template:Cite journal</ref>

History

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, author, after whom the prize is named

The Akutagawa Prize was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.<ref name=mack /> It is sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, and is awarded in January and July to the best serious literary story published in a newspaper or magazine by a new or rising author.<ref name=jtfukue>Template:Cite web</ref> The winner receives a pocket watch and a cash award of 1 million yen. The judges usually include contemporary writers, literary critics, and former winners of the prize. Occasionally, when consensus cannot be reached between judges over disputes about the winning story or the quality of work for that half year, no prize is awarded. From 1945 through 1948 no prizes were awarded due to postwar instability.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The prize has frequently been split between two authors.<ref name="CopelandRamirez-Christensen2001">Template:Cite book</ref>

On January 15, 2004, the awarding of the 130th Akutagawa Prize made significant news when two women became the award's youngest winners.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The prize went to both Risa Wataya, 19, for her novel Template:Nihongo and to Hitomi Kanehara, 20, for her debut novel Template:Nihongo. In 2013 Natsuko Kuroda won the 148th Akutagawa Prize at age 75, making her the oldest recipient in the history of the prize.<ref name=kuroda>Template:Cite news</ref>

Controversies

In 1972, Akutagawa winner Template:Ill was found to have committed plagiarism.<ref name=beauchamp>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2018, a similar controversy occurred when the candidate novel Template:Nihongo by Yuko Hojo was found to have reused text from its nonfiction source material without attribution, but the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature did not remove the book from the candidate list.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Records

• The youngest recipient of the prize to date is Risa Wataya who was 19 when she received the award for I Want to Kick You in the Back (Template:Nihongo).
• The best-seller title (in Japan only) is Spark (Template:Nihongo), by Naoki Matayoshi which sold 2,29 millions of copies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Winners

Bungeishunjū maintains an official archive of current and past winners on behalf of the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature.<ref name=official>Template:Cite web</ref>

Key

上	Indicates the first half of the given year.
下	Indicates the second half of the given year.

#	Year	Author	Work	Published in
Template:0Template:01	1935上	Tatsuzō Ishikawa	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:0Template:02	1935下	No prize awarded.
Template:0Template:03	1936上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:0Template:04	1936下	Jun Ishikawa	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:0Template:05	1937上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:0Template:06	1937下	Ashihei Hino	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:0Template:07	1938上	Gishū Nakayama	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:0Template:08	1938下	Tsuneko Nakazato	Template:Nihongo
Template:0Template:09	1939上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:010	1939下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:011	1940上	Template:Ill refused by the author	Template:Nihongo
Template:012	1940下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:013	1941上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:014	1941下	Yoshiko Shibaki	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:015	1942上	No prize awarded.
Template:016	1942下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:017	1943上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:018	1943下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:019	1944上	Yoshinori Yagi	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:020	1944下	Motoyoshi Shimizu	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:021	1949上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
		Shigeko Yuki	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:022	1949下	Yasushi Inoue	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:023	1950上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:024	1950下	No prize awarded.
Template:025	1951上	Kōbō Abe	Template:Nihongo	Template:Ill
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:026	1951下	Yoshie Hotta	Template:Nihongo	Chūōkōron
Template:027	1952上	No prize awarded.
Template:028	1952下	Kōsuke Gomi	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
		Seichō Matsumoto	Template:Nihongo	Mita Bungaku
Template:029	1953上	Shōtarō Yasuoka	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
			Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
Template:030	1953下	No prize awarded.
Template:031	1954上	Junnosuke Yoshiyuki	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:032	1954下	Nobuo Kojima	Template:Nihongo
		Junzō Shōno	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
Template:033	1955上	Shūsaku Endō	Template:Nihongo	Template:Ill
Template:034	1955下	Shintarō Ishihara	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:035	1956上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo
Template:036	1956下	No prize awarded.
Template:037	1957上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:038	1957下	Takeshi Kaikō	Template:Nihongo
Template:039	1958上	Kenzaburō Ōe	Template:Nihongo
Template:040	1958下	No prize awarded.
Template:041	1959上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Waseda Bungaku
Template:042	1959下	No prize awarded.
Template:043	1960上	Morio Kita	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
Template:044	1960下	Tetsuo Miura	Template:Nihongo
Template:045	1961上	No prize awarded.
Template:046	1961下	Kōichirō Uno	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:047	1962上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:048	1962下	No prize awarded.
Template:049	1963上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
		Kōno Taeko	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:050	1963下	Seiko Tanabe	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:051	1964上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:052	1964下	No prize awarded.
Template:053	1965上	Setsuko Tsumura	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:054	1965下	Yūichi Takai	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:055	1966上	No prize awarded.
Template:056	1966下	Kenji Maruyama	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:057	1967上	Tatsuhiro Ōshiro	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:058	1967下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
Template:059	1968上	Saiichi Maruya	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
		Minako Ōba	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
Template:060	1968下	No prize awarded.
Template:061	1969上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Chūōkōron
		Hideo Takubo	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
Template:062	1969下	Takayuki Kiyooka	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
Template:063	1970上	Tomoko Yoshida	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungei
Template:064	1970下	Yoshikichi Furui	Template:Nihongo
Template:065	1971上	No prize awarded.
Template:066	1971下	Kaisei Ri	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
		Mineo Higashi	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:067	1972上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungei
Template:068	1972下	Michiko Yamamoto	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
		Shizuko Gō	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:069	1973上	Taku Miki	Template:Nihongo	Template:Ill
Template:070	1973下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
Template:071	1974上	No prize awarded.
Template:072	1974下	Keizō Hino	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:073	1975上	Kyōko Hayashi	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
Template:074	1975下	Kenji Nakagami	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
		Kazuo Okamatsu	Template:Nihongo
Template:075	1976上	Ryū Murakami	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
Template:076	1976下	No prize awarded.
Template:077	1977上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungei
		Masuo Ikeda	Template:Nihongo	Template:Ill
Template:078	1977下	Teru Miyamoto	Template:Nihongo	Template:Nihongo
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
Template:079	1978上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungei
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo
Template:080	1978下	No prize awarded.
Template:081	1979上	Yoshiko Shigekane	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
		Sō Aono	Template:Nihongo
Template:082	1979下	Reiko Mori	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
Template:083	1980上	No prize awarded.
Template:084	1980下	Katsuhiko Otsuji	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:085	1981上	Rie Yoshiyuki	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
Template:086	1981下	No prize awarded.
Template:087	1982上
Template:088	1982下	Yukiko Katō	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
		Jūrō Kara	Template:Nihongo	Bungei
Template:089	1983上	No prize awarded.
Template:090	1983下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Ill
		Nobuko Takagi	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
Template:091	1984上	No prize awarded.
Template:092	1984下	Satoko Kizaki	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:093	1985上	No prize awarded.
Template:094	1985下	Fumiko Kometani	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
Template:095	1986上	No prize awarded.
Template:096	1986下
Template:097	1987上	Kiyoko Murata	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
Template:098	1987下	Natsuki Ikezawa	Template:Nihongo	Chūōkōron
		Kiyohiro Miura	Template:Nihongo	Template:Ill
Template:099	1988上	Man Arai	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
100	1988下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo
		Lee Yangji	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
101	1989上	No prize awarded.
102	1989下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
		Mieko Takizawa	Template:Nihongo
103	1990上	Noboru Tsujihara	Template:Nihongo
104	1990下	Yōko Ogawa	Template:Nihongo
105	1991上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo
		Anna Ogino	Template:Nihongo
106	1991下	Eiko Matsumura	Template:Nihongo	Template:Ill
107	1992上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
108	1992下	Yōko Tawada	Template:Nihongo
109	1993上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo
110	1993下	Hikaru Okuizumi	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
111	1994上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
		Yoriko Shōno	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
112	1994下	No prize awarded.
113	1995上	Kazushi Hosaka	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
114	1995下	Eiki Matayoshi	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
115	1996上	Hiromi Kawakami	Template:Nihongo
116	1996下	Hitonari Tsuji	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
		Yū Miri	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
117	1997上	Shun Medoruma	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
118	1997下	No prize awarded.
119	1998上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
		Shū Fujisawa	Template:Nihongo	Bungei
120	1998下	Keiichirō Hirano	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
121	1999上	No prize awarded.
122	1999下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
		Chiya Fujino	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
123	2000上	Kō Machida	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
		Hisaki Matsuura	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
124	2000下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
		Toshiyuki Horie	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
125	2001上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
126	2001下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo
127	2002上	Shūichi Yoshida	Template:Nihongo
128	2002下	Tamaki Daidō	Template:Nihongo
129	2003上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo
130	2003下	Hitomi Kanehara	Template:Nihongo	Template:Ill
		Risa Wataya	Template:Nihongo	Bungei
131	2004上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
132	2004下	Kazushige Abe	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
133	2005上	Fuminori Nakamura	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
134	2005下	Akiko Itoyama	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
135	2006上	Takami Itō	Template:Nihongo
136	2006下	Nanae Aoyama	Template:Nihongo	Bungei
137	2007上	Tetsushi Suwa	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
138	2007下	Mieko Kawakami	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
139	2008上	Yang Yi	Template:Nihongo
140	2008下	Kikuko Tsumura	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
141	2009上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
142	2009下	No prize awarded.
143	2010上	Akiko Akazome	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
144	2010下	Mariko Asabuki	Template:Nihongo
		Kenta Nishimura	Template:Nihongo
145	2011上	No prize awarded.
146	2011下	Toh EnJoe	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Template:Ill
147	2012上	Maki Kashimada	Template:Nihongo	Bungei
148	2012下	Natsuko Kuroda	Template:Nihongo	Template:Ill
149	2013上	Kaori Fujino	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Shinchō
150	2013下	Hiroko Oyamada	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
151	2014上	Tomoka Shibasaki	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Bungakukai
152	2014下	Masatsugu Ono	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Gunzō
153	2015上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
		Naoki Matayoshi	Template:Nihongo
154	2015下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo
		Yukiko Motoya	Template:Nihongo	Gunzō
155	2016上	Sayaka Murata	Template:Nihongo	Bungakukai
156	2016下	Sumito Yamashita	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Shinchō
157	2017上	Shinsuke Numata	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Bungakukai
158	2017下	Chisako Wakatake	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Bungei
		Yūka Ishii	Template:Nihongo	Shinchō
159	2018上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Bungakukai
160	2018下	Ryōhei Machiya	Template:Nihongo<ref name=160ns />	Shinchō
		Takahiro Ueda	Template:Nihongo<ref name=160ns>Template:Cite news</ref>	Gunzō
161	2019上	Natsuko Imamura	Template:Nihongo<ref name=jtakutagawa>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Ill
162	2019下	Makoto Furukawa	Template:Nihongo<ref name=kyodo2019shita>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Ill
163	2020上	Haruka Tono	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Bungei
		Haneko Takayama	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Shinchō
164	2020下	Rin Usami	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Bungei
165	2021上	Li Kotomi	Template:Nihongo<ref name="165ns">Template:Cite news</ref>	Bungakukai
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo<ref name="165ns" />	Gunzō
166	2021下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Gunzō
167	2022上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Gunzō
168	2022下	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo<ref name=168kai>Template:Cite web</ref>	Gunzō
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo<ref name=168kai/>	Shinchō
169	2023上	Saou Ichikawa	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Bungei
170	2023下	Rie Kudan	Template:Nihongo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Shinchō
171	2024上	Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo<ref name=171kai>Template:Cite web</ref>	Shinchō
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo<ref name=171kai/>	Gunzō
172	2024下	Template:Ill	Dtopia<ref name=172kai>Template:Cite web</ref>	Bungei
		Template:Ill	Template:Nihongo<ref name=172kai/>	Shōsetsu Tripper
173	2025上	No prize awarded.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Winners and nominees available in English translation

Winners

• 1936 (4th) - Jun Ishikawa, The Bodhisattva (trans. William J. Tyler, Columbia University Press, 1990)
• 1937 (5th) - Kazuo Ozaki, Rosy Glasses (in Rosy Glasses and Other Stories, trans. Robert Epp, Paul Norbury Publications, 1988)
• 1949 (22nd) - Yasushi Inoue, The Bullfight (trans. Michael Emmerich, Pushkin Press, 2013)
• 1953 (29th) - Shōtarō Yasuoka, Bad Company (in A View by the Sea, trans. Karen Wigen Lewis, Columbia University Press, 1984)
• 1954 (31st) - Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, Sudden Shower (In New Writing in Japan, trans. Geoffrey Bownas, Penguin, 1972)
• 1954 (32nd)
  • Nobuo Kojima, The American School (In Contemporary Japanese Literature, trans. William F. Sibley, Alfred A. Knopf, 1977)
  • Junzo Shono, Evenings at the Pool (In Still Life and Other Stories, trans. Wayne P. Lammers, Stone Bridge Press, 1992)
• 1955 (33rd) - Shūsaku Endō, White Man (In White Man, Yellow Man, trans. Teruyo Shimizu, Paulist Press, 2014)
• 1955 (34th) - Shintaro Ishikawa, Season of Violence (In Season of Violence, trans. John G. Mills, Toshie Takahama, and Ken Tremayne, Tuttle, 1966)
• 1957 (38th) - Takeshi Kaiko, The Naked King (In Japan Quarterly, vol. 24, no. 2, trans. Howard Curtis, 1977)
• 1958 (39th) - Kenzaburō Ōe, Prize Stock (In Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness, trans. John Nathan, Grove Press, 1977)
• 1960 (44th) - Tetsuo Miura, A Portrait of Shino (In Shame in the Blood, trans. Andrew Driver, Catapult, 2007)
• 1963 (49th) - Taeko Kono, Crabs (In Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories, trans. Lucy North, New Directions Publishing, 1996)
• 1965 (53rd) - Setsuko Tsumura, Playthings (In Japan Quarterly, vol. 27, no. 1, trans. Kyoko Evanhoe and Robert N. Lawson, 1980)
• 1967 (57th) - Tatsuhiro Ōshiro, The Cocktail Party (In Okinawa: Two Postwar Novellas, trans. Steve Rabson, Institute of East Asian Studies, 1989)
• 1968 (59th) - Minako Oba, The Three Crabs (in This Kind of Woman: Ten Stories by Japanese Women Writers, 1960-1976, trans. Yukiko Tanaka and Elizabeth Hanson, Stanford University Press, 1982)
• 1970 (64th) - Yoshikichi Furui, Yoko (In Child of Darkness: Yoko and Other Stories, trans. Donna George Storey, University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies, 1997)
• 1971 (66th)
  • Kaisei Ri, The Woman Who Fulled Clothes (In Flowers of Fire: Twentieth-Century Korean Stories, trans. Beverly Nelson, University of Hawaii Press, 1986)
  • Mineo Higashi, Child of Okinawa (In Okinawa: Two Postwar Novellas, trans. Steve Rabson, Institute of East Asian Studies, 1989)
• 1972 (68th)
  • Michiko Yamamoto, Betty-san (In Betty-san, trans. Geraldine Harcourt, Kodansha International, 1985)
  • Shizuko Gō, Requiem (trans. Geraldine Harcourt, Kodansha International, 1983)
• 1975 (73rd) - Kyoko Hayashi, Ritual of Death (In Nuke Rebuke: Writers and Artists against Nuclear Energy and Weapons, trans. Kyoko Selden, The Spirit That Moves Us Press, 1984)
• 1975 (74th) - Kenji Nakagami, The Cape (In The Cape and Other Stories from the Japanese Ghetto, trans. Eve Zimmerman, Stone Bridge Press, 1999)
• 1976 (75th) - Ryū Murakami, Almost Transparent Blue (trans. Nancy Andrew, Kodansha International, 1977)
• 1977 (78th) - Teru Miyamoto, River of Fireflies (in Rivers, trans. Roger K. Thomas and Ralph McCarthy, Kurodahan Press, 2014)
• 1979 (81st) - Yoshiko Shigekane, The Smoke in the Mountain Valley (In Mississippi Review, vol. 39, no. 1/3, trans. John Wilson and Motoko Naruse, 2012)
• 1981 (85th) - Rie Yoshiyuki, The Little Lady (In Japanese Literature Today, no. 7, trans. Geraldine Harcourt, 1982)
• 1984 (92nd) - Satoko Kizaki, The Phoenix Tree (In The Phoenix Tree and Other Stories, trans. Carol A. Flath, Kodansha International, 1990)
• 1985 (94th) - Fumiko Kometani, Passover (In Passover, trans. by the author, Carroll and Graf, 1989)
• 1987 (97th) - Kiyoko Murata, In the Pot (In Japanese Women Writers: Twentieth Century Short Fiction, trans. Kyoko Iriye Seldon, Routledge, 2015)
• 1987 (98th)
  • Natsuki Ikezawa, Still Life (In Still Lives, trans. Dennis Keene, Kodansha International, 1997)
  • Kiyohiro Miura, He's Leaving Home: My Young Son Becomes a Zen Monk (trans. Jeff Shore, Tuttle, 1996)
• 1990 (104th) - Yōko Ogawa, Pregnancy Diary (In The Diving Pool, trans. Stephen Snyder, Picador, 2008)
• 1992 (108th) - Yoko Tawada, The Bridegroom was a Dog (In The Bridegroom was a Dog, trans. Margaret Mitsutani, Kodansha International, 2003)
• 1993 (110th) - Hikaru Okuizumi, The Stones Cry Out (trans. James Westerhoven, Harcourt, 1999)
• 1996 (115th) - Hiromi Kawakami, Record of a Night Too Brief (trans. Lucy North, Pushkin Press, 2017)
• 1997 (117th) - Shun Medoruma, Droplets (In Southern Exposure: Modern Japanese Literature from Okinawa, trans. Michael Molasky, University of Hawaii Press, 2000)
• 1998 (120th) - Keiichiro Hirano, Eclipse (trans. Brent de Chene and Charles De Wolf, Columbia University Press, 2024)
• 2000 (123rd) - Kō Machida, Rip It Up (trans. Daniel Joseph, Mercurial Editions, 2022)
• 2000 (124th) - Toshiyuki Horie, The Bear and the Paving Stone (In The Bear and the Paving Stone, trans. Geraint Howells, Pushkin Press, 2018)
• 2003 (130th)
  • Hitomi Kanehara, Snakes and Earrings (trans. David Karashima, Dutton, 2005)
  • Risa Wataya, I Want to Kick You in the Back (trans. Julianne Neville, One Peace Books, 2015)
• 2005 (133rd) - Fuminori Nakamura, The Boy in the Earth (trans. Allison Markin Powell, Soho Crime, 2017)
• 2005 (134th) - Akiko Itoyama, Waiting in the Offing (In Words Without Borders, April 2007, trans. Charles De Wolf)
• 2006 (136th) - Nanae Aoyama, A Perfect Day to Be Alone (trans. Jesse Kirkwood, MacLehose Press, 2024)
• 2011 (146th)
  • Toh EnJoe, Harlequin Butterfly (trans. David Boyd, Pushkin Press, 2024)
  • Shinya Tanaka, Cannibals (trans. Kalau Almony, Honford Star, 2024)
• 2012 (147th) - Maki Kashimada, Touring the Land of the Dead (trans. Haydn Trowell, Europa Editions, 2021)
• 2013 (149th) - Kaori Fujino, Nails and Eyes (trans. Kendall Heitzman, Pushkin Press, 2023)
• 2013 (150th) - Hiroko Oyamada, The Hole (trans. David Boyd, New Directions Publishing, 2020)
• 2014 (151st) - Tomoka Shibasaki, Spring Garden (trans. Polly Barton, Pushkin Press, 2017)
• 2015 (153rd) - Naoki Matayoshi, Spark (trans. Allison Watts, Pushkin Press, 2020)
• 2015 (154th) - Yukiko Motoya, An Exotic Marriage (In The Lonesome Bodybuilder, trans. Asa Yoneda, Soft Skull, 2018)
• 2016 (155th) - Sayaka Murata, Convenience Store Woman (trans. Ginny Tapley Takemori, Grove Press, 2018)
• 2017 (158th) - Yuka Ishii, The Mud of a Century (trans. Haydn Trowell, Gazebo Books, 2023)
• 2019 (161st) - Natsuko Imamura, The Woman in the Purple Skirt (trans. Lucy North, Faber and Faber, 2021)
• 2020 (164th) - Rin Usami, Idol, Burning (trans. Asa Yoneda, HarperVia, 2022)
• 2021 (165th) - Mai Ishizawa, The Place of Shells (trans. Polly Barton, New Directions Publishing, 2025)
• 2022 (167th) - Junko Takase, May You Have Delicious Meals (trans. Morgan Giles, Penguin, 2025)
• 2023 (169th) - Saou Ichikawa, Hunchback (trans. Polly Barton, Penguin, 2025)
• 2023 (170th) - Rie Kudan, Sympathy Tower Tokyo (trans. Jesse Kirkwood, Penguin, 2025)

Nominees

• 1949 (22nd) - Yasushi Inoue, The Hunting Gun (trans. Michael Emmerich, Pushkin Press, 2014)
• 1951 (25th) - Shōtarō Yasuoka, The Glass Slipper (In The Glass Slipper and Other Stories, trans. Royall Tyler, Dalkey Archive Press, 2008)
• 1952 (27th) - Shōtarō Yasuoka, Homework (In The Glass Slipper and Other Stories, trans. Royall Tyler, Dalkey Archive Press, 2008)
• 1952 (28th)
  • Shōtarō Yasuoka, Prized Possessions (In Contemporary Japanese Literature, trans. Edwin McClellan, Alfred A. Knopf, 1977)
  • Nobuo Kojima, The Rifle (In The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories, trans. Lawrence Rogers, Oxford University Press, 1997)
• 1960 (43rd) - Yumiko Kurahashi, Partei (In This Kind of Woman: Ten Stories by Japanese Women Writers, 1960-1976, trans. Yukiko Tanaka and Elizabeth Hanson, Stanford University Press, 1982)
• 1962 (46th) - Kōno Taeko, Snow (In Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories, trans. Lucy North. New Directions Publishing, 1996)
• 1964 (51st) - Masaaki Tachihara, Torchlight Nō (In Cliff's Edge and Other Stories, trans. Stephen W. Kohl, Midwest Publishers, 1980)
• 1965 (53rd) - Masaaki Tachihara, Cliff's Edge (In Cliff's Edge and Other Stories, trans. Stephen W. Kohl, Midwest Publishers, 1980)
• 1971 (65th) - Kin Sekihan, The Curious Tale of Mandogi's Ghost (trans. Cindi L. Textor, Columbia University Press, 2010)
• 1979 (81st) - Haruki Murakami, Hear the Wind Sing (in Wind/Pinball: Two Novels, trans. Ted Goossen, Alfred A. Knopf, 2015)
• 1980 (83rd) - Haruki Murakami, Pinball, 1973 (in Wind/Pinball: Two Novels, trans. Ted Goossen, Alfred A. Knopf, 2015)
• 1980 (84th) - Satoko Kizaki, Barefoot (In The Phoenix Tree and Other Stories, trans. Carol A. Flath, Kodansha International, 1990)
• 1981 (85th) - Satoko Kizaki, The Flame Trees (In The Phoenix Tree and Other Stories, trans. Carol A. Flath, Kodansha International, 1990)
• 1985 (94th) - Amy Yamada, Bedtime Eyes (In Bedtime Eyes, trans. Yumi Gunji and Marc Jardine, St. Martin's Press, 2006)
• 1986 (95th) - Amy Yamada, Jesse (In Bedtime Eyes, trans. Yumi Gunji and Marc Jardine, St. Martin's Press, 2006)
• 1989 (102nd) - Yōko Ogawa, The Diving Pool (In The Diving Pool, trans. Stephen Snyder, Picador, 2008)
• 1998 (120th) - Mari Akasaka, Vibrator (trans. Michael Emmerich, Faber & Faber, 2005)
• 2001 (125th) - Kazushige Abe, Nipponia Nippon (trans. Kerim Yasar, Pushkin Press, 2023)
• 2002 (128th) - Fuminori Nakamura, The Gun (trans. Allison Markin Powell, Soho Press, 2016)
• 2003 (129th) - Akiko Itoyama, It's Only Talk (trans. Raquel Hill, Japan Times Press, 2009)
• 2012 (148th) - Masatsugu Ono, Lion Cross Point (trans. Angus Turvill, Two Lines Press, 2018)
• 2021 (166th) - Rie Kudan, Schoolgirl (In Schoolgirl, trans. Haydn Trowell, Gazebo Books, 2025)
• 2022 (167th) - Suzumi Suzuki, Gifted (trans. Allison Markin Powell, Transit Books, 2024)

Current members of the selection committee and year appointed

• Amy Yamada, 2003
• Hiromi Kawakami, 2007
• Yōko Ogawa, 2007
• Masahiko Shimada, 2010
• Hikaru Okuizumi, 2012
• Shuichi Yoshida, 2016
• Hisaki Matsuura, 2019
• Keiichiro Hirano, 2020<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Mieko Kawakami, 2024<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• List of Japanese literary awards