Mystery Writers of Japan Award

The Mystery Writers of Japan Awards (日本推理作家協会賞) 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 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)

Nominees available in English translation

 * Nominees for Best Novel
 * 02 (1949) - Akimitsu Takagi, The Tattoo Murder Case a.k.a. The Tattoo Murder (刺青殺人事件)
 * 02 (1949) - Seishi Yokomizo, Death on Gokumon Island (獄門島)
 * 37 (1984) - Kenzo Kitakata, The Cage (檻)
 * 42 (1989) - Joh Sasaki, Zero Over Berlin (ベルリン飛行指令)
 * 65 (2012) - Mahokaru Numata, Nan-Core (ユリゴコロ)
 * 71 (2018) - Mizuki Tsujimura, Lonely Castle in the Mirror (かがみの孤城)
 * Nominees for Short Story
 * 08 (1955) - Tetsuya Ayukawa, "The Red Locked Room" (赤い密室) (Tetsuya Ayukawa, The Red Locke Room, Locked Room International, 2020)
 * 11 (1958) - Tetsuya Ayukawa, "The Five Clocks" (五つの時計) (Tetsuya Ayukawa, The Red Locke Room, Locked Room International, 2020)
 * 12 (1959) - Tetsuya Ayukawa, "The White Locked Room" (白い密室) (Tetsuya Ayukawa, The Red Locke Room, Locked Room International, 2020)
 * 56 (2003) - Otsuichi, "Dog" (犬) (A chapter of the Novel Goth)
 * 60 (2007) - Gaku Yakumaru (ja), "Rice Omelet" (オムライス) (Gaku Yakumaru, A Cop's Eyes, Vertical, 2016)
 * 63 (2010) - Shunsuke Nagase (ja), "Chief" (師匠), Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, February 2013

MWJ Award for Mystery Fiction in Translation
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.

The 2023 judges: Tatsumi Atsukawa (ja), Kazuyo Misumi, Akira Mitsuhashi, Yuki Shasendo (ja), Matsukoi Sugie (ja)

Other awards

 * MWJ Award for new face
 * 01 (1948) - Shigeru Kayama (ja), Kaiman-so Kidan (海鰻荘奇談) (Short story)
 * MWJ Award for encouragement
 * 07 (1954) - Jojiro Okami (ja), Namari no Kobako (鉛の小函) (Novel)
 * 07 (1954) - Ro Hikawa (ja), Suiren Fujin (睡蓮夫人) (Short story)
 * 07 (1954) - Saburo Washio (ja), Nadare (雪崩) (Short story)