# 1981 Japan Open Tennis Championships – Men's doubles

Ross Case and Jaime Fillol were the defending champions, but none competed this year.
Balázs Taróczy and Heinz Günthardt won the title by defeating Larry Stefanki and Robert Van't Hof 3–6, 6–2, 6–1 in the final.

## Seeds

* Heinz Günthardt / Balázs Taróczy (champions)
* Terry Moor / Eliot Teltscher (quarterfinals)
* Mel Purcell / Peter Rennert (semifinals)
* Pat DuPré / Buster Mottram (quarterfinals)
* Lloyd Bourne / Van Winitsky (semifinals)
* Larry Stefanki / Robert Van't Hof (final)
* Martin Davis / Chris Dunk (quarterfinals)
* Tim Gullikson / Scott McCain (second round)

## Draw
### Key

* Q = Qualifier
* WC = Wild card
* LL = Lucky loser
* Alt = Alternate
* SE = Special exempt
* PR = Protected ranking
* ITF = ITF entry
* JE = Junior exempt
* w/o = Walkover
* r = Retired
* d = Defaulted
* SR = Special ranking

### Finals

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Heinz Günthardt Balázs Taróczy | 7 | 6 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Lloyd Bourne Van Winitsky | 5 | 4 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Lloyd Bourne Van Winitsky | 5 | 4 | | 1 | Heinz Günthardt Balázs Taróczy | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| | | | | | 6 | Larry Stefanki Robert Van't Hof | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Mel Purcell Peter Rennert | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | Larry Stefanki Robert Van't Hof | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | Larry Stefanki Robert Van't Hof | 3 | 6 | 6 | | | | | |

### Top half

| First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| 1 | H Günthardt B Taróczy | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Yoshiya Hamano Koichi Sayama | 2 | 2 | 1 | H Günthardt B Taróczy | 5 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | D Gitlin B Sison | 6 | 6 | | D Gitlin B Sison | 7 | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| | T Fukui T Yonezawa | 1 | 1 | | | | | | 1 | H Günthardt B Taróczy | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | Kiyoshi Miyanami Masayuki Uchida | 6 | 6 | | | | | | 7 | M Davis C Dunk | 4 | 4 | | | | |
| | Yukihiko Murata S Nishio | 3 | 2 | | K Miyanami M Uchida | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| | H Shirato Kenzo Ukon | 0 | 5 | 7 | M Davis C Dunk | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | M Davis C Dunk | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | H Günthardt B Taróczy | 7 | 6 |
| 4 | P DuPré B Mottram | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 5 | L Bourne V Winitsky | 5 | 4 |
| | Hiroyuki Bamba Ichiro Nakanishi | 0 | 1 | 4 | P DuPré B Mottram | 6 | 2 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | K Hirai S Sakamoto | 6 | 6 | | K Hirai S Sakamoto | 3 | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| | Akira Kawaguchi Noriyuki Washida | 1 | 4 | | | | | | 4 | P DuPré B Mottram | 3 | 2 | | | | |
| | S Nishio Nobuya Tamura | 6 | 6 | | | | | | 5 | L Bourne V Winitsky | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | T Kuramitsu Etsuo Uchiyama | 3 | 3 | | S Nishio N Tamura | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | S Kato S Shiraishi | 3 | 2 | 5 | L Bourne V Winitsky | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | L Bourne V Winitsky | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Bottom half

| First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| 8 | T Gullikson S McCain | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Masaru Suishu Minoru Ueda | 2 | 4 | 8 | T Gullikson S McCain | 6 | 4 | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| | M Estep S Menon | 6 | 6 | | M Estep S Menon | 4 | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| | B Webb E Wilborts | 4 | 2 | | | | | | | M Estep S Menon | 6 | 0 | | | | | |
| | E Takeuchi K Tanabe | 6 | 6 | | | | | | 3 | M Purcell P Rennert | 7 | 6 | | | | | |
| | Taisen Kanai Takao Yamamoto | 3 | 4 | | E Takeuchi K Tanabe | 2 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | J Bailey Nial Brash | 3 | 4 | 3 | M Purcell P Rennert | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | M Purcell P Rennert | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 3 | M Purcell P Rennert | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | L Stefanki R Van't Hof | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 6 | L Stefanki R Van't Hof | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| | Toyokazu Tomogane Nobuo Yoshida | 0 | 1 | 6 | L Stefanki R Van't Hof | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | D Dowlen I Dupasquier | 6 | 7 | | D Dowlen I Dupasquier | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Yoshito Nakamura Takao Suzuki | 3 | 6 | | | | | | 6 | L Stefanki R Van't Hof | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | R Cano R Krishnan | 6 | 6 | | | | | | 2 | T Moor E Teltscher | 3 | 3 | | | | | |
| | ? Hoshono Akinori Naguro | 3 | 3 | | R Cano R Krishnan | 1 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Weller Evans Bob Weise | 2 | 1 | 2 | T Moor E Teltscher | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | T Moor E Teltscher | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |