Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Koji Tanaka

たなか こうじ

Tanaka Koji

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1941-02-14 （Keijo (then Japanese-ruled Korea; present-day Seoul, South Korea)）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Science fiction writer, Mystery writer, Adventure novelist, Broadcast producer, Translator
Active Years
1972-
Affiliations
Japan SF Writers Club, Japan Adventure Writers Club, NHK (former employee)
Memberships
Japan SF Writers Club, Japan Adventure Writers Club
Nominations
2nd Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize nominee (Genkaku no Chiheisen, 1974), 74th Naoki Prize nominee (The Great Escape, 1975), 5th Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize nominee (Genyo no Shima, 1977), 33rd Mystery Writers of Japan Award (long-form) nominee (The Golden Trap), 19th Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize nominee (Tree — Day of Judgment, 1991), 20th Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize nominee (Olympos no Tasogare, 1992)

Education

Waseda University
Second Faculty of Letters / Department of English
Period: 在学期間約6年（NHK勤務と並行して学業）
Country: Japan
Reportedly completed studies over about six years while working at NHK.

Awards

1st Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Prize
1980
Work: The Golden Trap
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
6th Kadokawa Novel Prize
1980
Work: Blood and Gold
Organization: Kadokawa Shoten
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Horizon of Hallucination

1974 Science fiction

Serialized in 1972 and published in 1974, this debut novel blends seafaring adventure with science-fiction elements.

OceanAdventureHallucinationScience

The Great Escape

1975 Adventure / Thriller

Published in 1975, a novel of escape and survival that was nominated for the Naoki Prize.

EscapeSurvivalHuman drama

Island of the Phantom Fish

1977 Science fiction / Adventure

Published in 1977, an adventure SF centered on the sea and unknown creatures; nominated for the Izumi Kyōka Prize.

Marine lifeAdventureEncounters with the unknown

The Golden Trap

1979 Adventure / Mystery

Published in 1979, this novel about greed and conspiracy won the 1980 Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Prize.

GoldConspiracyAdventure

Blood and Gold

1979 Mystery / Adventure

Published in 1979; one of the works that won the Kadokawa Novel Prize, depicting crime and human greed.

CrimeGreedSuspense

Tree — Day of Judgment

1990 Adventure / SF

Published in 1990, a novel with social and allegorical elements; nominated for the Izumi Kyōka Prize.

JudgmentNatureAllegory

Twilight of Olympos

1992 Autobiographical novel / Biography

Published in 1992, an autobiographical work depicting the author's conflict with his father, Tanaka Eikō; nominated for the Izumi Kyōka Prize.

Father-son relationshipAutobiographical elementsConflict

Bibliography

  • Horizon of Hallucination
  • The Great Escape
  • Island of the Phantom Fish
  • The Golden Trap
  • Blood and Gold
  • Tree — Day of Judgment
  • Twilight of Olympos
  • Execution Investigator (series)
  • New Pacific War Chronicles (series)
  • Rekishi Gunzo (history series) — multiple volumes

Adaptations

  • Bakuhatsu no Rinkai → Film 'Tokyo Bay Inferno' (1975)
  • Shakunetsu → Film 'Dead Heat' (1977)
  • 'Daihoro' → NHK radio drama (1978)
  • Contributed to original material for the SF TV drama 'Saru no Gundan' (1974–75)

Translations by Author

  • Translation: Edmund H. North 'Meteor' — translated into Japanese (1979)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Adventure-rooted SF narrative with accessible storytellingAction-focused prose incorporating hard-SF detailsLater works sometimes incorporate autobiographical/private-novel elements
Recurring Motifs
Sea and islandsJungle and wildernessGold (wealth) and greedMilitary / alternate-history elementsFather–son relationships

Health

  • Suicide attempt
    2012-03-29
    Attempted suicide at Aoyama Cemetery on 2012-03-29; sustained minor injuries. Further public health details are limited.

Legacy

A representative of Japan's second-generation SF writers from the 1970s onward. Prolific across multiple genres (especially seafaring adventure SF), winner of awards including the 1980 Yoshikawa Eiji Prize, and active in writers' organizations such as the Japan SF Writers Club and Japan Adventure Writers Club.

Academic Societies

  • Japan SF Writers Club
  • Japan Adventure Writers Club

Archives

  • National Diet Library (NDL) bibliographic records
  • VIAF authority record
  • ISNI authority record

In Popular Culture

  • Some works adapted into films and radio dramas

Trivia

  • His father was writer and Olympic rowing athlete Eikō Tanaka.
  • He worked at NHK as a producer of cultural programs while beginning his career as a writer.
  • By 2012 he had reached 300 published books and a commemorative party was held.
  • On 2012-03-29 he reportedly attempted suicide at Aoyama Cemetery but sustained only minor injuries.
  • He was a founding participant in the Japan Adventure Writers Club (1983) and later served as secretary and president of the Japan SF Writers Club.