SF! A Booklist of Japanese Science Fiction in Translation

Support RJL. Check out our Bookshop.org page.

Anthologies

• The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories ed. John Apostolou and Martin Greenberg
• The Future is Japanese: Science Fiction Futures and Brand New Fantasies from and about Japan ed. Masumi Washington, Nick Mamatas, and Ken Liu
• Hanzai Japan: Fantastical, Futuristic Stories of Crime from and about Japan ed. Haikasoru
• Phantasm Japan: Fantasies Light and Dark from and About Japan
• The Speculative Japan series

Kobo Abe

• The Ark Sakura (translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter)
• Inter Ice Age 4 (translated by Dale Saunders)
• Secret Rendezvous (translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter)
• Featured in The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories
• Much of Abe’s other writing might qualify as SF.
• Learn more about Kobo Abe with RJL.

Ken Asamatsu

• Queen of K’n-yan (translated by Kathleen Taji)

Yoshio Aramaki

• The Sacred Era (translated by Baryon Tensor Posadas)

Toh Enjoe

• Self-Reference Engine (translated by Terry Gallagher)
• The Squirrel Awakes
• Featured in The Ghost in the Shell: Five New Stories
• Featured in The Future Is Japanese
• Featured in Monkey Business 2
• Featured in Monkey Business 3
• Featured in Monkey Business 4
• Featured in Monkey Business 5

Taiyo Fujii

• Gene Mapper (translated by Jim Hubbert)
• Orbital Cloud (translated by Timothy Silver)
• Featured in The Apex Book of World SF 5
• Featured in Everyone: Worlds without Walls
• Featured in The Rosetta Archive: Notable Speculative Fiction in Translation

Kaori Fujino

• Nails and Eyes (translated by Kendall Heitzmann)
• Featured in Hanzai Japan

Ryo Hanmura

• The Sheltering Rain (translated by Jim Hubbert)
• Featured in The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories
• Featured in Speculative Japan: Outstanding Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy
• Featured in Speculative Japan 4: Pearls for Mia and Other Tales

Jyouji Hayashi

• The Ouroboros Wave
• Featured in Hanzai Japan

Tobi Hirotaka

• The Thousand Year Beach (translated by Matt Treyvaud)
• Featured in The Future Is Japanese

Akira Hori

• Featured in The Showa Anthology
• Featured in Speculative Japan 4: Pearls for Mia and Other Tales

Shinichi Hoshi

• The God of Fortune (translated by Robert Matthew)
• The Spiteful Planet and Other Stories (translated by Bernard Susser and Tomoyoshi Genkawa)
• A Well-Kept Life (translated by Marina Hoshi Whyte and Kim Hines)
• Voice Net (translated by Marina Hoshi Whyte and Kim Hines)
• Featured in The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories
• Featured in We, Robots

Takuji Ichikawa

• Monkey Man (translated by Lisa Lilley and Daniel Lilley)
• The Refugees’ Daughter (translated by Emily Balistrieri)

Rokuro Inui

• Automatic Eve (translated by Matt Treyvaud)

Takashi Ishikawa

• Featured in The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories
• Featured in Speculative Japan: Outstanding Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy

Chohei Kambayashi

• Yukikaze (translated by Neil Nadelman)
• Good Luck, Yukikaze (translated by Neil Nadelman)

Shigeru Kayama

• Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again (translated by Jeffrey Angles)

Hirai Kazumasa

• Featured in Speculative Japan: Outstanding Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy

Morio Kita

• Red Ghost, White Ghost: Stories and Essays (translated by Masako Inamoto)
• Featured in The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories

Yusaku Kitano

• Mr. Turtle (translated by Tyran Grillo)
• Featured in Phantasm Japan

Erika Kobayashi

• Sunrise: Radiant Stories (translated by Brian Bergstrom)
• Trinity, Trinity, Trinity (translated by Brian Bergstrom)
• Featured in Elemental: Earth Stories

Sakyo Komatsu

• Japan Sinks: A Novel about Earthquakes (translated by Michael Gallagher)
• Virus: The Day of Resurrection (translated by Daniel Huddleston)
• Featured in The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories

Tensei Kono

• Featured in The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories

Kaoru Kurimoto

• The Guin Saga: The Leopard Mask (translated by Alexander O. Smith)
• The Guin Saga: Warrior in the Wilderness (translated by Alexander O. Smith)
• The Guin Saga: The Battle of Nospherus (translated by Alexander O. Smith)
• The Guin Saga: Prisoner of the Lagon (translated by Alexander O. Smith)
• The Guin Saga: The Marches King (translated by Alexander O. Smith)

Gengen Kusano

• Last and First Idol (translated by Andrew Cunningham)

Osamu Makino

• Featured in Night Voices, Night Journeys
• Featured in Speculative Japan 4: Pearls for Mia and Other Tales

Taku Mayumura

• Administrator (translated by Daniel Jackson)
• Featured in The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories

Miyuki Miyabe

• The Book of Heroes (translated by Alexander O. Smith) and The Gate of Sorrows (translated by Jim Hubbert)
• Brave Story (translated by Alexander O. Smith)
• Crossfire (translated by Deborah Stuhr Iwabuchi and Anna Husson Isozaki)
• The Devil’s Whisper (translated by Deborah Stuhr Iwabuchi)
• Ico: Castle in the Mist (translated by Alexander O. Smith)
• Puppet Master (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)
• Shadow Family (translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter)
• Featured in Phantasm Japan
• Much of Miyabe’s other writing might qualify as SF.

Yusuke Miyauchi

• Featured in Hanzai Japan

Ryu Mitsuse

• 10 Billion Days and 100 Billion Nights (translated by Alexander O. Smith)
• Featured in Best Science Fiction for 1972
• Featured in Science Fiction Stories 52

Tomihiko Morimi

• Penguin Highway (translated by Andrew Cunningham)
• Tower of the Sun (translated by Stephen Kohler)
• Tatami Galaxy (translated by Emily Balistrieri)
• Tatami Time Machine (translated by Emily Balistrieri)
• Some of Morimi’s other writing might qualify as SF.
• Learn more about Tomihiko Morimi with RJL.

Haruki Murakami

• 1Q84 (translated by Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel)
• Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (translated by Alfred Birnbaum)
• Some of Murakami’s other writing might qualify as SF.

Ryu Murakami

• Coin Locker Babies (translated by Stephen Snyder)
• Some of Murakami’s other writing might qualify as SF.

Norio Nakai

• Featured in Speculative Japan 2: The Man Who Watched the Sea and Other Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy

Asa Nonami

• Body (translated by Takami Nieda)

Issui Ogawa

• The Lord of the Sands of Time (translated by Jim Hubbert)
• The Next Continent (translated by Jim Hubbert)
• Featured in The Future Is Japanese
• Featured in Speculative Japan 2
• Featured in Speculative Japan 3

Yoko Ogawa

• The Memory Police (translated by Stephen Snyder)

Mariko Ohara

• Hybrid Child (translated by Jodie Beck)
• Featured in Monkey Brain Sushi
• Featured in Speculative Japan: Outstanding Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy
• Featured in Speculative Japan 2: The Man Who Watched the Sea and Other Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy

Shunro Oshikawa

• The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure (translated by Shelley Marshall)

Hiroko Oyamada

• The Factory (translated by David Boyd)

Project Ito

• Genocidal Organ (translated by Edwin Hawkes)
• Harmony (translated by Alexander O. Smith)
• Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots (translated by Nathan Collins)
• Featured in The Future Is Japanese
• Featured in Phantasm Japan

Hiroshi Sakurazaka

• All You Need Is Kill (translated by Alexander O. Smith)
• Featured in Hanzai Japan

Yuya Sato

• Dendera (translated by Nathan Collins and Edwin Hawkes)
• Featured in The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories

Hideaki Sena

• Parasite Eve (translated by Tyran Grillo)

Soji Shimada

• One Love Chigusa (translated by David Warren)

Kazufumi Shiraishi

• Stand-In Companion (translated by Raj Mahtani)

Hiroe Suga

• Featured in Speculative Japan 3: Silver Bullet and Other Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy
• Featured in Year’s Best SF 5

Izumi Suzuki

• Hit Parade of Tears (various translators)
• Terminal Boredom (various translators)
• Read Suzuki’s “The Walker” for free (translated by Daniel Joseph)

Koji Suzuki

• Dark Water (translated by Glynne Walley)
• Death and the Flower (translated by Maya Robinson and Camellia Nieh)
• Edge (translated by Jonathan Lloyd-Davies and Camellia Nieh)
• Paradise (translated by Tyran Grillo)
• Promenade of the Gods (translated by Takami Nieda)
• Ring series:
  • Ring (translated by Robert Rohmer and Glynne Walley)
  • Spiral (translated by Glynne Walley)
  • Loop (translated by Glynne Walley)
  • Birthday (translated by Glynne Walley)
  • S (translated by Greg Gencarello)
• The Shining Sea (translated by Brian Bergstrom)

Seia Tanabe

• Featured in Phantasm Japan

Koshu Tani

• The Erinys Incident (translated by Simon Varnam)
• Featured in Speculative Japan 2: The Man Who Watched the Sea and Other Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy

Yoko Tawada

• The Emissary (translated by Margaret Mitsutani)
  • Also published as The Last Children of Tokyo
• Scattered All Over the Earth (translated by Margaret Mitsutani)
• Some of Tawada’s other writing might qualify as SF.

Dempow Torishima

• Sisyphean (translated by Danial Huddleston)
• Featured in Phantasm Japan

Aritsune Toyota

• Featured in Speculative Japan: Outstanding Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy

Yasutaka Tsutsui

• Bullseye! (translated by Adam Driver)
• The Girl Who Leapt through Time (translated by David Karashima)
• Hell (translated by Evan Emswiler)
• The Maid (translated by Adam Kabat)
• Paprika (translated by Andrew Driver)
• Salmonella Men on Planet Porno (translated by Andrew Driver)
• Featured in The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories

Sayuri Ueda

• The Cage of Zeus (translated by Takami Nieda)
• Featured in Phantasm Japan
• Featured in Speculative Japan 3
• Featured in Speculative Japan 4

Juza Unno

• Fast Forward Japan (translated by J. D. Wisgo)
  • also published as Science: Hopes and Fears (translated by J. D. Wisgo)

Masaki Yamada

• Aphrodite (translated by Daniel Jackson)
• Featured in Night Voices, Night Journeys
• Featured in Speculative Japan 3: Silver Bullet and Other Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy
• Featured in Speculative Japan 4: Pearls for Mia and Other Tales

Hiroshi Yamamoto

• MM9: Monster Magnitude (translated by Nathan Collins)
• The Stories of Ibis (translated by Takami Nieda)

Tetsu Yano

• Featured in The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories
• Featured in The Penguin World Omnibus of Science Fiction
• Featured in Requiem: New Collected Works by Robert A. Heinlein and Tributes to the Grand Master
• Featured in Tales from the Planet Earth: A Novel with Nineteen Authors

Baku Yumemakura

• The Psyche Diver Trilogy (translated by Jonathan Lloyd-Davies):
  • Desires of the Flesh
  • The Darkness
  • The Demon’s Cry