The following is an overview of the year 2015 in Japanese literature. It includes winners of literary awards, yearly best-sellers, title debuts and endings, and deaths of notable Japanese literature-related people, as well as any other relevant Japanese literature-related events. For an overview of the year in literature from other countries, see 2015 in literature; for an overview of the year in manga (Japanese comics), see 2015 in manga.
Awards Agatha Christie Award: Akutagawa Prize: for Naoki Matayoshi for for 死んでいない者 Yukiko Motoya for 異類婚姻譚 Bungei Prize for ドール for 地の底の記憶 Dazai Osamu Prize: for 変わらざる喜び Dengeki Novel Prize Grand Prize: 松村涼哉 for ただ、それだけでよかったんです 角埜杞真 for トーキョー下町ゴールドクラッシュ！ Edogawa Rampo Prize: Katsuhiro Go for Honkaku Mystery Award: Best Fiction: for Best Critical Work: Aoi Shimotsuki for Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature for 冥途あり for 骨風 Japan Booksellers' Award: Nahoko Uehashi for Mephisto Prize: for Mishima Yukio Prize: Takahiro Ueda for 私の恋人 Mystery Writers of Japan Award: Best Novel: for for Best Critical/Biographical Work: Masahiko Kikuni for Aoi Shimotsuki for Naoki Prize: for 流 for つまをめとらば Nihon SF Taisho Award: Koronbia zero (Columbia Zero) by Kōshū Tani Toppen by Hiroyuki Morioka Noma Award for the Translation of Japanese Literature: for Riku Onda's Noma Literary Prize : for 冥途あり Seiun Award: Best Japanese Novel: by Taiyō Fujii Best Japanese Short Story: by Hirotaka Tobi Sogen SF Short Story Prize: for 神々の歩法 Tanizaki Prize: Kaori Ekuni for ヤモリ、カエル、シジミチョウ Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize: Asako Yuzuki for ナイルパーチの女子会 Yomiuri Prize: Fiction: for 女たち三百人の裏切りの書 Drama: Haruhiko Arai for この国の空
Best-sellers
Light novel titles The following is a list of the 10 best-selling light novel titles in Japan during 2015From November 17, 2014 to November 22, 2015. according to Oricon. Rank Title Author(s) Copies 1 Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Fujino Ōmori (story), Suzuhito Yasuda (art) 1,220,217 2 The Irregular at Magic High School Tsutomu Satō (story), Kan Ishida (art) 1,175,978 3 My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Wataru Watari (story), Ponkan8 (art) 1,050,446 4 Overlord Kugane Maruyama (story), so-bin (art) 927,413 5 Naruto Story Series several 883,833 6 Sword Art Online Reki Kawahara (story), abec (art) 788,895 7 Kagerou Daze Jin (Shizen no Teki-P) (story), Sidu (art) 494,721 8 Kokuhaku Yokō Renshū Tōko Fujitani (story), Yamako (art) 413,663 9 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Kazuma Kamachi (story), Kiyotaka Haimura (art) 405,666 10 Sword Art Online: Progressive Reki Kawahara (story), abec (art) 390,856
Light novel volumes The following is a list of the 10 best-selling light novel volumes in Japan during 2015From November 17, 2014 to November 22, 2015. according to Oricon. Rank Volume Author(s) Copies 1 Sword Art Online: Progressive vol. 3 Reki Kawahara (story), abec (art) 325,991 2 Sword Art Online vol. 16 Reki Kawahara (story), abec (art) 285,081 3 Kagerou Daze VI -over the dimension- Jin (Shizen no Teki-P) (story), Sidu (art) 255,785 4 The Irregular at Magic High School vol. 16 Tsutomu Satō (story), Kan Ishida (art) 251,640 5 The Irregular at Magic High School vol. 15 Tsutomu Satō (story), Kan Ishida (art) 247,532 6 The Boy and the Beast Mamoru Hosoda 244,336 7 My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU vol. 10 Wataru Watari (story), Ponkan8 (art) 224,761 8 Naruto: Kakashi's Story Akira Higashiyama 217,136 9 My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU vol. 10.5 Wataru Watari (story), Ponkan8 (art) 207,460 10 The Irregular at Magic High School vol. 17 Tsutomu Satō (story), Kan Ishida (art) 194,973
Title debuts
January 25 - Ascendance of a Bookworm by Miya Kazuki (story) and You Shiina (art) February 7 - Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter by Futaba Hazuki February 28 - Isekai Shokudō by Junpei Inuzuka (story) and Katsumi Enami (art) March 20 - 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team by Yukako Kabei (story) and Aiji Yamakawa (art) June 20 - Assault Lily by Kasama Hiroyuki (story), Yaegashi Nan and Mieko Hosoi (art) June 25 - Arifureta by Ryo Shirakome (story) and Takayaki (art) August 1 - Gangsta by Jun'ichi Kawabata October 20 - Babylon by Mado Nozaki (story) and Zain (art) December 18 - Dagashi Kashi: Mō Hitotsu no Natsu Yasumi by Manta Aisora December 25 - Violet Evergarden by Kana Akatsuki (story) and Akiko Takase (art)
Title endings
May 1 - Attack on Titan: Harsh Mistress of the City by Ryō Kawakami (story) and Range Murata (art)
References