Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Shun Ioka

いおか しゅん

Ioka Shun

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1960-01-01 （Musashino, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Mystery writer
Active Years
2005-
Nominations
2010 - Nominated for the 63rd Mystery Writers of Japan Award (short story) for "Misfire", 2011 - Nominated for the 64th Mystery Writers of Japan Award (long/collection) for "Ashita no Ame wa.", 2014 - Shortlisted for the 5th Yamada Fūtaro Award for "Compensation", 2018 - Nominated for the 20th Haruhiko Oyabu Award for "Bruise", 2020 - Nominated for the 41st Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomers Award for "Suspicious Person"

Education

Nihon University
Faculty of Law
Degree: 学士（法学）
Country: Japan

Awards

Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award
2005
Work: Someday Beyond the Rainbow
Organization: Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award Committee
Result: 大賞 (Grand Prize)
TV Tokyo Prize
2005
Work: Someday Beyond the Rainbow
Organization: TV Tokyo
Result: 受賞 (Prize winner)
Keibundo Bookstore Bunko Award
2016
Work: Compensation
Organization: Keibundo Bookstore
Result: 受賞
Keibundo Bookstore Bunko Award
2019
Work: Chill
Organization: Keibundo Bookstore
Result: 受賞
Tokuma Bunko Award
2020
Work: Bruise
Organization: Tokuma Shoten
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Someday Beyond the Rainbow

2005 Mystery novel

Debut novel published after a career in advertising. A human mystery about family ties and a promise; it won the 25th Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award (Grand Prize) and the TV Tokyo Prize.

familypromiseloss
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Promise: Someday Beyond the Rainbow (2005)

145g of Solitude

2006 Mystery novel

A novel themed around loneliness and human relationships, notable for detailed psychological depiction.

lonelinesshuman relationshipspsychology

Tomorrow's Rain

2010 Mystery (includes short stories)

A collection that includes short stories such as "Misfire," which deal with social themes; it was nominated for the Mystery Writers of Japan Award.

societyeveryday darknesshuman relationships

Compensation

2014 Mystery novel

A novel exploring guilt, atonement and family; it was shortlisted for the Yamada Fūtaro Award and won the Keibundo Bookstore Bunko Award.

guiltatonementfamily
Adaptations
  • [Web drama] Compensation (2016)

Bruise

2016 Mystery novel

A mystery that portrays the underside of family and society; it was nominated for the Haruhiko Oyabu Award and won the Tokuma Bunko Award.

familysocietyviolence

Chill

2017 Mystery novel

A novel centered on anxiety and fear; one of the works that received the Keibundo Bookstore Bunko Award.

fearanxietypsychology

Suspicious Person

2019 Mystery novel

A story about an enigmatic person and surrounding incidents; it was shortlisted for the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomers Award.

suspicionmysteryhuman observation

Cold Cage

2018 Mystery novel

A work that weaves social issues while probing human nature; a serialized passage later drew attention for coincidental similarity to a real report.

social issuespowerhuman nature

Bibliography

  • Someday Beyond the Rainbow (2005)
  • 145g of Solitude (2006)
  • July's Christmas Card (2008)
  • Tomorrow's Rain (2010)
  • The Season When Cherry Blossoms Don't Bloom (2012)
  • Compensation (2014)
  • If We Were Angels (2014)
  • Seven People of Otsugiri Village (2014)
  • That Lonely Guy (2015)
  • Bruise (2016)
  • Chill (2017)
  • True Nature (2018)
  • Cold Cage (2018)
  • Suspicious Person (2019)
  • Red Sand (2020)
  • Mask (2021)
  • Sea of Rapids (2022)
  • Decaying Garden (2022)
  • White Beast of Darkness (2023)
  • Afterimage (2023)
  • Settlement (2023)
  • Water Vein (2024)
  • Afternoon in Shadow (2024)
  • Seven People of Otsugiri Village (Revised Edition) (2025)
  • Pursuit (2025)

Adaptations

  • Promise: Someday Beyond the Rainbow (2005, TV Tokyo, 'Wednesday Mystery 9')
  • Compensation (2016, Hulu web drama)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Narrative focused on psychological depictionContemporary mystery approach emphasizing family and everyday fracturesSerious tone incorporating social issues
Recurring Motifs
loss and recovery within familiesguilt and atonementviolence and absurdity hidden in everyday life

Legacy

Regarded as a contemporary mystery writer who probes family and human psychology. Since his award-winning debut he has achieved commercial success including adaptations and bookstore bunko awards.

In Popular Culture

  • Screen adaptations including the TV drama 'Promise: Someday Beyond the Rainbow' and the Hulu web drama 'Compensation'

Quotes

  • If this country were to collapse, I thought it would be either from the ballooning social security budget or from the 'privatization' of bureaucrats and politicians.
    Source: Interview/article (see Mainichi Shimbun coverage) (2018)
  • The most unreasonable thing in this world is for parents to suddenly lose a child.
    Source: Book 'White Beast of Darkness' / interview (2023)

Trivia

  • Became a full-time writer at age 50 at his wife's suggestion.
  • His debut novel 'Someday Beyond the Rainbow' was submitted under the title 'Promise'.