Joh Sasaki (佐々木 譲, Sasaki Jō, born March 16, 1950) is a Japanese writer and journalist; chiefly known for his historical fiction and mystery novels.^[1]

Joh Sasaki was born in Yubari, Hokkaido, Japan.^[2][3] He spent his early youth in Nakashibetsu City and later ventured to Sapporo where Sasaki attended Tsukisamu High School. He released his first novel, Tekkihei, tonda (鉄騎兵、跳んだ), in 1979.^[4][5] Sasaki quickly established himself as a writer after winning the All Yomimono New Writers Prize for Tekkihei, tonda which was also later adapted for the big screen.^[6] Today Sasaki is known as a household author with numerous works in genres stretching from historical fiction, young adult fiction to police crime fiction, and even various TV Crime Drama adaptations.^[7][8]

In 2009, Sasaki won Japan's number one literary award, the Naoki Prize, for his work ja:廃墟に乞う Haikyo ni kou, and also holds many other literary awards.^{[9] [10] [11] [12]} These days Sasaki is actively developing his stories for the stage in addition to directing a Children's e-picture book project called Joh's Picture Book Project.^[13]

Joh Sasaki is well known in Japan as a social entertainment writer.^{[citation needed]} In his novel ja:真夜中の遠い彼方 Mayonaka no tooi kanata (later re-titled to ja:新宿のありふれた夜 Shinjuku no arifureta yoru), he depicts the underground lifestyles of the Japanese mafia, boat people, and illegal alien workers. In ja:夜にその名を呼べば Yoru ni sono na o yobeba, Sasaki portrays a chilling Cold War scene in a mystery set in Otaru, Hokkaido and Berlin, Germany. His police mystery thriller, ja:歌う警官 Utau keikan (later re-titled to ja:笑う警官 Warau keikan) was adapted for the big screen and provides an early setting for his later internationally acclaimed roman-fleuve novel ja:警官の血 Keikan no chi which was eventually adapted for television. Sasaki's ja:ベルリン飛行指令 Berlin hikō shimei (English title: Zero Over Berlin) garnered critical acclaim for telling a World War II story from the other side about a fly-by-night mission involving a Type Zero Fighter (Mitsubishi A6M Zero) secretly making its way from Japan all the way to Berlin at the request of the Luftwaffe.^{[14][15][16][17]} Zero Over Berlin is presently Sasaki's only novel translated into English.^[18]

• Zero Over Berlin (original title: Berlin Hikō Shirei): Vertical., 2004 (Translated by Hiroko Yoda with Matt Alt).

• 1979 ja:鉄騎兵、跳んだ Tekkihei, tonda: debut novel winning the All Yomimono New Writers Prize.
• 1989 ja:エトロフ発緊急電 Etorofu hatsu kinkyūden: novel winning the Mystery Writers of Japan Award, Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize and Japan Adventure Fiction Association Prize.
• 1994 ja:ストックホルムの密使 Stockholm no misshi: novel winning the Japan Adventure Fiction Association Prize.
• 2002 ja:武揚伝 Buyōden: novel winning the Nitta Jirō Prize for Literature.
• 2008 ja:警官の血 Keikan no chi (The Policeman's Lineage^[19]): novel winning the first place in the "Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! 2008" and the Japan Adventure Fiction Association Prize.
• 2009 ja:廃墟に乞う Haikyo ni kou (Prayer in the Ruins^[20]): novel winning the nationally acclaimed literary award Naoki Prize.