The are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of Japan. They honor the best in crime fiction and critical/biographical work published in the previous year.
MWJ Award for Best Novel winners (1948–1951, 1976–present) YearWinnerWinning entryAvailable in English Translation11948Seishi YokomizoThe Honjin Murders21949Ango Sakaguchi31950Akimitsu TakagiThe Noh Mask Murder41951Udaru Oshita (ja) 5th - 28th, see MWJ Award for Best Work291976No Award Presented301977No Award Presented311978Tsumao Awasaka (ja)Shohei Ooka321979Yoshiaki Hiyama (ja)Shin Tendo (ja)331980No Award Presented341981Kyotaro Nishimura351982Masaki Tsuji361983Koshi Kurumizawa371984Ichiro Kano (ja)381985Kenzo KitakataHiroko Minagawa391986Futari Okajima (ja)Tatsuo Shimizu (ja)401987Go OsakaThe Red Star of CadizKatsuhiko Takahashi411988Kenji Kosugi (ja)421989Yoichi FunadoShunzo Waku (ja)431990Joh Sasaki441991Arimasa OsawaShinjuku Shark451992Yukito AyatsujiMiyuki MiyabeThe Sleeping Dragon461993Kaoru Takamura471994Ramo Nakajima481995Yoshinaga FujitaIchi Orihara (ja)491996Natsuhiko KyogokuKatsufumi Umehara (ja)501997Yuichi Shimpo (ja)511998Seishu HaseNatsuo KirinoOut521999Ryoichi Kano (ja)Keigo HigashinoNaoko532000Harutoshi Fukui (ja)Arata Tendo (ja)J'Lit | Publications : The Eternal Child | Books from Japan 542001Naomi Azuma (ja)Hiroe Suga552002Hideo Furukawa (ja)J'Lit | Publications : Tribes of the Arabian Nights | Books from Japan Masaki Yamada562003Alice ArisugawaMitsufumi Asagure (ja)572004Ryosuke Kakine (ja)J'Lit | Publications : Wild Soul | Books from Japan Shogo Utano (ja)J'Lit | Publications : When the Cherry Blossoms Fall, I'll Think of You | Books from Japan 582005Yusuke KishiJ'Lit | Publications : The Glass Hammer | Books from Japan Atsunori Tomatsu (ja)J'Lit | Publications : Dancing History | Books from Japan 592006Riku OndaThe Aosawa Murders602007Kazuki SakurabaRed Girls: The Legend of the Akakuchibas612008Bin Konno (ja)J'Lit | Publications : Decision: Cover-Up Investigation 2 | Books from Japan 622009Shusuke Michio (ja)Koji YanagiJ'Lit | Publications : Joker Game | Books from Japan 632010Ko Amemura (ja)J'Lit | Publications : Slime Lizards | Books from Japan Tokuro Nukui (ja)J'Lit | Publications : Scattered Reflection | Books from Japan 642011Yutaka Maya (ja)J'Lit | Publications : The Girl with One Eye | Books from Japan Honobu YonezawaJ'Lit | Publications : Broken Keel | Books from Japan 652012Kazuaki TakanoGenocide of One662013Muneki Yamada (ja)672014Kotaro Tsunekawa (ja)682015Ryoe Tsukimura (ja)Kazumasa Hayami (ja)692016Yuko Yuzuki (ja)702017Makoto Usami (ja)712018Seiji Kodokoro (ja)722019Aki Hamanaka (ja)732020Katsuhiro Go (ja)742021Izumi Sakagami (ja)Tomoya Sakurada (ja)752022Taku Ashibe762023Yo Ashizawa (ja)Satoshi Ogawa (ja)772024Yugo Aosaki（ja）Jirai Glico（地雷グリコ）Akira Ogidou（ja）Night Land（不夜島（ナイトランド））782025Kajyu Koizumi（ja）konrondo（崑崙奴）
MWJ Award for Best Short Story winners (1948–1951, 1976–present) YearWinnerWinning entryAvailable in English Translation11948Takataro Kigi (ja)21949Futaro Yamada, 31950Sunao Otsubo (ja), , 41951Kazuo Shimada (ja), 5th - 28th, see MWJ Award for Best Work291976Yasuji Toita (ja)301977Eitaro Ishizawa (ja)311978No Award Presented321979Takashi Atoda (ja)"The Visitor" (EQMM December 1988)331980No Award Presented341981Etsuko NikiMikihiko Renjo351982Keisuke Kusaka (ja), 361983No Award Presented371984Ro Tomono (ja) (Short Stories)381985No Award Presented391986No Award Presented401987No Award Presented411988No Award Presented421989Mariko Koike431990No Award Presented441991Kaoru Kitamura (Short Stories)451992No Award Presented461993No Award Presented471994Jun Saito (ja)Kiichiro Suzuki (ja)481995Tomoko Kano (ja)Masaya Yamaguchi (ja) (Short Stories)491996Hiroyuki Kurokawa (ja)501997No Award Presented511998No Award Presented521999Ko Kitamori (ja) (Short Stories)532000Hideo Yokoyama"Motive" (EQMM May 2008)542001No Award Presented552002Yuri Mitsuhara (ja)"Eighteenth Summer" (EQMM December 2004)Rintaro Norizuki"An Urban Legend Puzzle" (EQMM January 2004)562003No Award Presented572004Kotaro Isaka"The Precision of the Agent of Death" (EQMM July 2006)582005No Award Presented592006Yumeaki Hirayama (ja)"Monologue of a Universal Transverse Mercator Projection" (Hanzai Japan, 2015)602007No Award Presented612008Hiroki Nagaoka (ja)"Heard at One Remove" (EQMM February 2010)622009Keisuke Sone (ja)Hirofumi Tanaka (ja)632010Yoshiaki Ando (ja)642011Reiichiro Fukami (ja)652012Kanae Minato662013Nanami Wakatake (ja)672014No Award Presented682015No Award Presented692016Emi Nagashima (ja)Naoki Oishi(ja)702017Gaku Yakumaru (ja)712018Ten Furuta (ja)722019Ichi Sawamura (ja)732020Jun Yagi (ja)742021Shinichiro Yuki (ja)752022Yu Itsuki (ja)Seiichiro Oyama (ja)762023Yasuhiko Nishizawa (ja)772024Kaoru Sakasaki(ja)Bell o Narashite（ベルを鳴らして）Yusuke Miyauchi(ja)Dionysios Keikaku（ディオニソス計画）782025Mikihiko Hisanaga（ja）Kuroi Ansoku no Hibi（黒い安息の日々）
MWJ Award for Best Critical/Biographical Work winners (1976–present) MWJ Award for Best Work (1952–1975) winners for their Critical Work 05 (1952) - EDOGAWA Rampo, Gen'ei-jo (Studies on detective fiction) 19 (1966) - Kawataro Nakajima, Suiri Shosetsu Tembo (Studies on detective fiction) YearWinnerWinning entryAvailable in English Translation291976Manji Gonda (ja)(Studies on Japanese detective fiction writers)301977Masao Yamamura (ja)(Studies on Japanese detective fiction writers)311978Amehiko Aoki (ja)(Essay)Takashi Ishikawa (ja)(Studies on Japanese science fiction)321979Jinichi Uekusa (ja)(Essay)331980No Award Presented341981Eisuke Nakazono(Studies on Spy fiction)351982No Award Presented361983No Award Presented371984No Award Presented381985Iwao Matsuyama (ja)(Studies on Edogawa Rampo)Minoru Sase (ja)(Crime report)391986Yoshio Matsumura (ja)(Studies on French Crime fiction)401987Hideo Ito (ja)(Studies on Japanese detective fiction of the Meiji period)411988No Award Presented421989Akira Naoi (ja)(Studies on 87th Precinct)431990Shunsuke Tsurumi(Studies on Yumeno Kyūsaku)441991Ro Takenaka(Studies on Eitaro Takenaka (ja))Takao Tokuoka (ja)(Crime report)451992Rokusuke Nozaki (ja)(Studies on North American detective fiction)461993Fumichika Hasebe (ja)(Studies on the history of translations of European and American crime fiction into Japanese)Shinji Hata (ja)(Studies on Siebold Incident)471994Jiro Kitagami (ja)(Studies on Adventure novel)481995Saburo Kagami (ja)(Dictionary of characters of Raymond Chandler)491996No Award Presented501997Kyodo News Shakaibu(Studies on Ryūzō Sejima)511998Kiyoshi Kasai (ja)(Studies on honkaku Mystery)Kenji Kazama (ja)(Studies on Horror fiction)521999Hidetoshi Mori (ja)(Dictionary of mystery writers)532000Hideki Kobayashi(Studies on Vincent van Gogh)542001Takayuki Ikegami (ja)(Studies on Adventure novel)Michio Tsuzuki (ja)(Essay)552002No Award Presented562003Hirohisa Shimpo (ja)Yuzuru Yamamae (ja)(Studies on Edogawa Rampo)572004Akiyuki Sengai (ja)(Studies on honkaku Mystery)Shigeharu Tada (ja)(Studies on Yumeno Kyūsaku)582005Kotaro Hidaka (ja)(Studies on Kamikaze)592006Hiroshi Gohara (ja)(Studies on Seicho Matsumoto)Tetsutaka Shibata (ja)(Studies on Shimoyama incident)602007Nobumitsu Kodaka (ja)(Studies on Hardboiled)Masaaki Tatsumi (ja)(Studies on honkaku Mystery)612008Junichiro Kida (ja)(Studies on Horror fiction)Hazuki Saisho (ja)(Studies on Shinichi Hoshi)622009Toshiaki Endo (ja)(Studies on honkaku Mystery)Yuichiro Kurihara (ja)(Studies on the history of Plagiarism)632010Kentaro Komori (ja)Eibungaku no Chika Suimyaku: Koten Misuteri Kenkyu Ruiko Kuroiwa (ja) Hon'an Genten kara Queen made(Studies on classical detective fiction)642011Masao Higashi (ja)(Studies on The Legends of Tono)652012Jun'ya Yokota662013Koichi Suwabe (ja)(Studies on The Maltese Falcon)672014Kiyoshi Shimizu (ja)Motoi Taniguchi (ja)(Studies on unorthodox detective fiction)682015Masahiko Kikuni (ja)Aoi Shimotsuki(lit. The Definitive Guide to Agatha Christie)692016Yoshinobu Kadoi (ja)(Studies on historical mystery)702017No Award Presented712018Noboru Miyata (ja)722019Yasuo Nagayama (ja)(Studies on Japanese science fiction)732020Seung Chul Kim(Studies on Shūsaku Endō)742021Keisuke Mada(Studies on the Golden Age of Detective Fiction)752022Osamu Komori (ja)(Anthology of mystery stories)762023Masamichi Higurashi (ja)(Studies on Sherlock Holmes)772024Masaki KawadeMystery Library Investigation Sengo Honyaku Mystey Sousho Tanbou（ミステリ・ライブラリ・インヴェスティゲーション 戦後翻訳ミステリ叢書探訪）(Studies on translated crime fiction)Shosaku Naka(ja)Edogawa Rampo Nenpu Shusei（江戸川乱歩年譜集成）(Studies on Edogawa Rampo)782025Matsukoi Sugie (ja)Nihon no Hanzai Shosetsu（日本の犯罪小説）(Studies on Japanese crime fiction)
MWJ Award for Best Work winners (1952–1975) YearWinnerWinning entryAvailable in English Translation51952Jun Mizutani (ja)Short StoryEDOGAWA RampoCritical Essay61953No Award Presented71954No Award Presented81955Sango NagaseShort Story91956Jokichi Hikage (ja)Short Story101957Seicho MatsumotoShort Stories111958Kikuo Tsunoda (ja)Short Story121959Yorichika Arima (ja)Novel131960Tetsuya Ayukawa, Novel141961Tsutomu MinakamiNovelSaho SasazawaNovel151962Takashi Asuka (ja)Novel161963Takao Tsuchiya (ja)Novel171964Tensei KonoNovelShoji Yuki (ja)Novel181965Yo SanoNovel191966Kawataro NakajimaCritical Essay201967Toru Miyoshi (ja)Novel211968Shinichi Hoshi and his past achievementShort Stories221969No Award Presented231970CHIN Shunshin, Novel241971No Award Presented251972No Award Presented261973Shizuko Natsuki (ja)NovelSeiichi MorimuraNovel271974Sakyo KomatsuNovelJapan Sinks281975Ikko Shimizu (ja)Novel
Nominees available in English translation Nominees for Best Novel 02 (1949) - Akimitsu Takagi, 02 (1949) - Seishi Yokomizo, 37 (1984) - Kenzo Kitakata, 42 (1989) - Joh Sasaki, 65 (2012) - Mahokaru Numata, 71 (2018) - Mizuki Tsujimura, Nominees for Short Story 08 (1955) - Tetsuya Ayukawa, (Tetsuya Ayukawa, The Red Locke Room, Locked Room International, 2020) 11 (1958) - Tetsuya Ayukawa, (Tetsuya Ayukawa, The Red Locke Room, Locked Room International, 2020) 12 (1959) - Tetsuya Ayukawa, (Tetsuya Ayukawa, The Red Locke Room, Locked Room International, 2020) 56 (2003) - Otsuichi, (A chapter of the Novel Goth) 60 (2007) - Gaku Yakumaru (ja), (Gaku Yakumaru, A Cop's Eyes, Vertical, 2016) 63 (2010) - Shunsuke Nagase (ja), , Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, February 2013
MWJ Award for Mystery Fiction in Translation（Double Copper Award）2023–present This award is for the best translated mystery novel or short story collection published in Japan in the previous year.
2023 Winners (in bold) and nominees.
Author Title Translator Orig. Pub. Year Country Niklas Natt och Dag 1794 / 1795 Miho Hellén-Halme (ja) 2019 / 2021 Harlan Coben Win Toshiki Taguchi (ja) 2021 Janice Hallett The AppealJapanese title: (lit. What Can Be Done for Poppy) Ran Yamada(ja) 2021 Richard Lange Sweet NothingJapanese title: (lit. She Died on Wednesday) Hiroto Yoshino 2015 Stuart Turton The Devil and the Dark WaterJapanese title: (lit. The Great Detective and the Sea Devil) Kazuyo Misumi 2020
The 2023 judges: Tatsumi Atsukawa (ja), Kazuyo Misumi, Akira Mitsuhashi, Yuki Shasendo (ja), Matsukoi Sugie (ja)
2024 Winners (in bold) and nominees.
Author Title Translator Orig. Pub. Year Country Joseph Knox True Crime StoryJapanese title: True Crime Story（トゥルー・クライム・ストーリー） Makiko Ikeda (ja) 2021 孙 沁文（zh） 凜冬之棺Japanese title: Gento no Hitsugi （厳冬之棺）(lit. The coffin in severe winter) Kosaku Ai 2018 S.A. Cosby Razorblade TearsJapanese title: Ho ni Kanashimi wo Kizame（頬に哀しみを刻め）(lit. Carve sadness into your cheeks) Takuro Kagayama（ja） 2021 Danya Kukafka Notes on an ExecutionJapanese title: Shikeishikko no Note（死刑執行人ノート）(lit. Execution Notes) Miho Suzuki 2022 Ann Cleeves The Long CallJapanese title: Aiseki （哀惜）(lit. Lamentation) Mayumi Takayama 2019 The 2024 judges:Tatsumi Atsukawa (ja), Kazuyo Misumi, Akira Mitsuhashi, Yuki Shasendo (ja), Matsukoi Sugie (ja)
2025 Winners (in bold) and nominees.