Mystery Writers of Japan (Japanese: 日本推理作家協会, Hepburn: Nihon Suiri Sakka Kyōkai) is an organization for mystery writers in Japan.
Contents
The organization was founded on 21 June 1947 by Edogawa Rampo. It is currently chaired by Bin Konno and claims about 600 members.
It presents the Mystery Writers of Japan Award to writers every year. It also presents the Edogawa Rampo Prize to amateur writers who has had few or no novels published commercially.
History
On 21 June 1947, Edogawa Rampo founded the Detective Fiction Writers Club (探偵作家クラブ, Tantei Sakka Kurabu), which was based in Tokyo. In 1954, the Club merged with the Detective Fiction Writers Club of Kansai (関西探偵作家クラブ, Kansai Tantei Sakka Kurabu), the counterpart based in Kansai region, and changed its name to the Detective Fiction Writers Club of Japan (日本探偵作家クラブ, Nihon Tantei Sakka Kurabu). On 31 January 1963, the club changed its name to Mystery Writers of Japan (日本推理作家協会, Nihon Suiri Sakka Kyōkai).
Awards
The MWJ presents two annual awards.
Presidents
- Edogawa Rampo (1947–1952)
- Udaru Oshita (1952–1954) (ja:大下宇陀児)
- Takataro Kigi (1954–1960) (ja:木々高太郎)
- Keisuke Watanabe (1960–1963) (ja:渡辺啓助)
- Edogawa Rampo (1963)
- Seichō Matsumoto (1963–1971)
- Kazuo Shimada (1971–1973) (ja:島田一男)
- Yo Sano (1973–1979) (ja:佐野洋)
- Toru Miyoshi (1979–1981) (ja:三好徹)
- Masao Yamamura (1981–1985) (ja:山村正夫)
- Kawataro Nakajima (1985–1989)
- Jiro Ikushima (1989–1993) (ja:生島治郎)
- Takashi Atoda (1993–1997) (ja:阿刀田高)
- Kenzo Kitakata (1997–2001)
- Go Osaka (2001–2005) (ja:逢坂剛)
- Arimasa Osawa (2005–2009) (ja:大沢在昌)
- Keigo Higashino (2009–2013)
- Bin Konno (2013– ) (ja:今野敏)
Anthologies
The MWJ started compiling the annual anthology of members in 1948.