# List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Japan

This list details Japanese working in the film industry who have been nominated for, or won, Academy Awards (also known as Oscars). These include artists and filmmakers, both naturalized and international co-citizenship, or Japanese film production companies are awarded or honored by the Academy.
In the 1950s, just as after the second World War ended prior in five years, Akira Kurosawa was recognized by the Academy for his contribution as a writer/director of Rashomon (1951), which was received Best Foreign Language Film, and again in 1954 and 1955, Gate of Hell and Samurai, The Legend of Musashi also won the same category; it wasn't established yet as competitive until 1956; Departures (2008) and Drive My Car (2021) ultimately won that category in competitive, making it the most wins and nominations of any Asian countries.
In addition of Japanese people aside from Best Foreign Language Film category, these were the first-time winners for each respective categories: Sanzō Wada is the first Japanese and Asian to be nominated for and to win Best Costume Design in 1954, Miyoshi Umeki is the first Japanese and Asian to be nominated for and to win Best Supporting Actress in 1957, Ryuichi Sakamoto is the first Japanese and Asian to win Best Original Score in 1987, Hayao Miyazaki is the first Japanese and Asian animator to be nominated for and to win Best Animated Feature in 2002, Kunio Katō is the first Japanese to win Best Animated Short Film in 2008, Kazu Hiro is the first and only Japanese to be nominated for and to win Best Makeup and Hairstyling between 2006 and 2017, and Takashi Yamazaki and his Shirogumi crew (consists Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi, and Tatsuji Nojima) were the first Japanese crew to be nominated for and to win Best Visual Effects in 2023.
As of 2024, Miyazaki and Hiro are the only two-time competitive winners for their respective categories.
Drive My Car is the first Japanese film to be nominated the Academy Award for Best Picture.

## Production
### Best Picture

Best Picture :
| Year | Film | Nominee | Status | Notes |
| 2021 | Drive My Car | Teruhisa Yamamoto | Nominated | First Japanese film to be nominated for Best Picture. |

### Best Animated Feature

Best Animated Feature :
| Year | Name | Film | Status | Notes |
| 2002 | Hayao Miyazaki | Spirited Away | Won | Japanese descent. First Asian nominated for Best Animated Feature. First Asian to win Best Animated Feature. First hand drawn film to win Best Animated Feature. |
| 2005 | Hayao Miyazaki | Howl's Moving Castle | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Hayao Miyazaki Toshio Suzuki | The Wind Rises | Nominated | Suzuki is of Japanese descent. |
| 2014 | Isao Takahata Yoshiaki Nishimura | The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | Nominated | Both are of Japanese descent. |
| 2015 | Hiromasa Yonebayashi Yoshiaki Nishimura | When Marnie Was There | Nominated | Yonebayashi is of Japanese descent. |
| 2016 | Toshio Suzuki | The Red Turtle | Nominated | (Shared with Michael Dudok de Wit.) |
| 2017 | Ramsey Naito | The Boss Baby | Nominated | Japanese father. (Shared with Tom McGrath.) |
| 2018 | Mamoru Hosoda Yuichiro Saito | Mirai | Nominated | |
| 2023 | Hayao Miyazaki Toshio Suzuki | The Boy and the Heron | Won | At age 83, Hayao Miyazaki is the oldest winner of Best Animated Feature. Miyazaki is the first Japanese person to win in the category twice. Tied (with Pete Docter) for the most nominations in this category, with four. |

### Best Animated Short Film

Animated Short Film :
| Year | Name | Film | Status | Notes |
| 2002 | Kōji Yamamura | Mt. Head | Nominated | Japanese descent. |
| 2008 | Kunio Katō | La Maison En Petits Cubes | Won | Japanese descent. First Asian to win Best Animated Short Film. |
| 2013 | Shuhei Morita | Possessions | Nominated | Japanese descent. |
| 2014 | Daisuke Tsutsumi | The Dam Keeper | Nominated | (Shared with Robert Kondo.) |
| 2018 | Ru Kuwahata | Negative Space | Nominated | (Shared with Max Porter.) |
| 2024 | Daisuke Nishio Takashi Washio | Magic Candies | Nominated | |

### Best Documentary Feature FIlm

Documentary Feature Film :
| Year (Ceremony) | Film | Original title | Director | Result |
| 2024 (97th) | Black Box Diaries | Black Box Diaries | Shiori Itō | Nominated |

### Best Documentary Short Film

Documentary Short Film :
| Year (Ceremony) | Film | Original title | Director | Result |
| 2024 (97th) | Instruments of a Beating Heart | Instruments of a Beating Heart | Ema Ryan Yamazaki | Nominated |

### International Feature Film

NOTE: In this category is awarded to countries, not individuals. This list contains directors of nominated films, who typically accept the award on behalf of their country.
International Feature Film :
| Year (Ceremony) | Film | Original title | Director | Result |
| 1951 (24th) | Rashomon | Rashōmon (羅生門) | Akira Kurosawa | Honorary Award |
| 1954 (27th) | Gate of Hell | Jigokumon (地獄門) | Teinosuke Kinugasa | Honorary Award |
| 1955 (28th) | Samurai, The Legend of Musashi | Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武蔵) | Hiroshi Inagaki | Honorary Award |
| 1956 (29th) | Harp of Burma | Biruma no Tategoto (ビルマの竪琴) | Kon Ichikawa | Nominated |
| 1961 (34th) | Immortal Love | Eien no Hito (永遠の人) | Keisuke Kinoshita | Nominated |
| 1963 (36th) | Twin Sisters of Kyoto | Koto (古都) | Noboru Nakamura | Nominated |
| 1964 (37th) | Woman in the Dunes | Suna no Onna (砂の女) | Hiroshi Teshigahara | Nominated |
| 1965 (38th) | Kwaidan | Kaidan (怪談) | Masaki Kobayashi | Nominated |
| 1967 (40th) | Portrait of Chieko | Chieko-sho (智恵子抄) | Noboru Nakamura | Nominated |
| 1971 (44th) | Dodes'ka-den | Dodes'ka-den (どですかでん) | Akira Kurosawa | Nominated |
| 1975 (48th) | Sandakan No. 8 | Sandakan Hachibanshokan Bohkyo (サンダカン八番娼館 望郷) | Kei Kumai | Nominated |
| 1980 (53rd) | Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior) | Kagemusha (影武者) | Akira Kurosawa | Nominated |
| 1981 (54th) | Muddy River | Doro no Kawa (泥の河) | Kōhei Oguri | Nominated |
| 2003 (76th) | The Twilight Samurai | Tasogare Seibei (たそがれ清兵衛) | Yoji Yamada | Nominated |
| 2008 (81st) | Departures | Okuribito (おくりびと) | Yōjirō Takita | Won |
| 2018 (91st) | Shoplifters | Manbiki Kazoku (万引き家族) | Hirokazu Kore-eda | Nominated |
| 2021 (94th) | Drive My Car | Doraibu mai kā (ドライブ・マイ・カー) | Ryusuke Hamaguchi | Won |
| 2023 (96th) | Perfect Days | | Wim Winders | Nominated |

## Performance
### Best Supporting Actor

Best Actor in a Supporting Role :
| Year | Name | Film | Role | Status | Milestone / Notes |
| 1957 | Sessue Hayakawa | The Bridge on the River Kwai | Colonel Saito | Nominated | Japanese descent. First Asian man to be nominated for an acting Academy Award. |
| 1966 | Mako Iwamatsu | The Sand Pebbles | Po-Han | Nominated | Japanese descent. |
| 1985 | Pat Morita | The Karate Kid | Mr. Miyagi | Nominated | Japanese descent. |
| 2003 | Ken Watanabe | The Last Samurai | Lord Katsumoto | Nominated | Japanese descent. |

### Best Supporting Actress

Best Actress in a Supporting Role :
| Year | Name | Film | Role | Status | Milestone / Notes |
| 1957 | Miyoshi Umeki | Sayonara | Katsumi Kelly | Won | Japanese descent. First Asian nominated for Best Supporting Actress First East Asian to win an acting award. |
| 2006 | Rinko Kikuchi | Babel | Chieko Wataya | Nominated | Japanese descent. First role that used Japanese sign language to ever be nominated. |

## Craft
### Best Director

Director :
| Year | Name | Film | Status | Notes |
| 1965 | Hiroshi Teshigahara | Woman in the Dunes | Nominated | Japanese descent. First Asian nominated for Best Director. Film was nominated in previous year for Best Foreign Language Film. |
| 1985 | Akira Kurosawa | Ran | Nominated | |
| 2021 | Ryusuke Hamaguchi | Drive My Car | Nominated | |

### Best Adapted Screenplay

Adapted Screenplay :
| Year | Name | Film | Status | Notes |
| 2021 | Ryusuke Hamaguchi Takamasa Oe | Drive My Car | Nominated | First Japanese film nominated in a screenplay category. |

### Best Cinematography

Cinematography :
| Year | Name | Film | Status | Notes |
| 1970 | Osamu Furuya Shinsaku Himeda Masamichi Satoh | Tora! Tora! Tora! | Nominated | All three are of Japanese descent. (Shared with Charles F. Wheeler.) |
| 1985 | Takao Saito Masaharu Ueda Asakazu Nakai | Ran | Nominated | All three are of Japanese descent |

### Best Production Design

Production Design :
| Year | Name | Film | Status | Notes |
| 1952 | So Matsuyama H. Motsumoto | Rashomon | Nominated | Both are of Japanese descent. First Asians nominated for Best Art Direction. |
| 1956 | Albert Nozaki | The Ten Commandments | Nominated | Japanese descent. (Shared with Hal Pereira, Walter H. Tyler, Samuel M. Comer, and Ray Moyer.) |
| 1956 | So Matsuyama | Seven Samurai | Nominated | |
| 1970 | Yoshirō Muraki Taizô Kawashima | Tora! Tora! Tora! | Nominated | Both are of Japanese descent. (Shared with Jack Martin Smith, Richard Day, Walter M. Scott, Norman Rockett, and Carl Biddiscombe.) |
| 1980 | Yoshirō Muraki | Kagemusha | Nominated | |
| 1985 | Yoshirō Muraki Shinobu Muraki | Ran | Nominated | Muraki is of Japanese descent. |

### Best Costume Design

Costume Design :
| Year | Name | Film | Status | Notes |
| 1954 | Sanzo Wada | Gate of Hell | Won | Japanese descent. First Asian nominated for Best Costume Design. First Asian to win Best Costume Design. |
| 1955 | Tadaoto Kainosho | Ugetsu | Nominated | Japanese descent. |
| 1956 | Kohei Ezaki | Seven Samurai | Nominated | Japanese descent. |
| 1961 | Yoshirō Muraki | Yojimbo | Nominated | Tied for third most Oscar-nominated Asian of all time, with four nominations. |
| 1985 | Emi Wada | Ran | Won | Japanese descent. |
| 1992 | Eiko Ishioka | Bram Stoker's Dracula | Won | Japanese descent. |
| 2012 | Eiko Ishioka | Mirror Mirror | Nominated | Posthumous nomination. |

### Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Best Makeup and Hairstyling :
| Year | Name | Film | Status | Notes |
| 2006 | Kazu Hiro | Click | Nominated | Japanese descent. First Asian nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. (Shared with Bill Corso.) |
| 2007 | Kazu Hiro | Norbit | Nominated | (Shared with Rick Baker.) |
| 2017 | Kazu Hiro | Darkest Hour | Won | First Asian to win for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. (Shared with David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick.) |
| 2019 | Kazu Hiro | Bombshell | Won | (Shared with Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker.) |
| 2023 | Kazu Hiro | Maestro | Nominated | (Shared with Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell.) |

### Best Original Score

Best Original Score :
| Year | Name | Film | Status | Notes |
| 1966 | Toshiro Mayuzumi | The Bible | Nominated | Japanese descent First Asian nominated for Best Original Score. |
| 1987 | Ryuichi Sakamoto | The Last Emperor | Won | (Shared with Cong Su and David Byrne) Japanese descent Sakamoto and Su were the first Asians to win Best Original Score |

### Best Original Song

Best Original Song :
| Year | Name | Film | Song | Status | Notes |
| 2022 | Mitski | Everything Everywhere All at Once | "This is a Life" | Nominated | Japanese descent (Shared with Ryan Lott & David Byrne) |

### Best Visual Effects

Best Visual Effects :
| Year | Name | Film | Status | Notes |
| 2023 | Takashi Yamazaki Kiyoko Shibuya Masaki Takahashi Tatsuji Nojima | Godzilla Minus One | Won | First Japanese production to be nominated and win for Best Visual Effects. |

## Honorary Award

Honorary Award :
| Year | Name | Award |
| 1989 | Akira Kurosawa | Honorary Academy Award To Akira Kurosawa for accomplishments that have inspired, delighted, enriched and entertained audiences and influenced filmmakers throughout the world. |
| 2014 | Hayao Miyazaki | Honorary Academy Award To Hayao Miyazaki, a master storyteller whose animated artistry has inspired filmmakers and audiences around the world. |