Below is a select list of contemporary Japanese theatre practitioners. Their associated companies, past and current, are included in parentheses. As most Japanese playwrights tend to direct their own plays and run their own companies, dividing the list neatly has been difficult. Directors and writers who have worked entirely in commercial theatre have not been included.
Mainly Working as Directors
Robert Allan Ackerman (the company, TPT) ロバート・アラン・アッカーマン
Norimizu Ameya 飴屋法水
Kenji Higashi 東憲司
Takeshi Kawamura (TPT) 川村毅
Tamiya Kuriyama 栗山民也
Yukichi Matsumoto (Ishinha) 松本雄吉
Motoi Miura (Chiten) 三浦基
Keiko Miyata 宮田慶子
Yukio Ninagawa (Gendaijin Gekijou, Sakurasha) 蜷川幸雄
Sho Ryuzanji (Ryuzanji) 流山児祥
Yujiro Sagami 相模友士郎
Makoto Satou (Black Tent) 佐藤信
Tadashi Suzuki (Waseda Shogekijou, SCOT) 鈴木忠志
Kuro Tanino (Niwa Gekidan) タニノクロウ
Hitoshi Uyama 鵜山仁
Mainly Working as Writer-Directors
Go Aoki (Gring) 青木豪
Seishin Chinen (The Creation Troupe) 知念正真
Wishing Chong (aka Yoshinobu Tei) (Shinjuku Ryozanpaku) 鄭義信
Junko Emoto (Gekidan Emoto Junko, Kegawazoku) 江本純子
Satoshi Hayafune (Suspenders) 早船聡
Oriza Hirata (Tokyo Notes, Seinendan) 平田オリザ
Ryuta Horai (Modern Swimmers) 蓬莱竜太
Rei Ichido (Gekidan Aoi Tori) 市堂令
Yorozu Ikuta (The Spontaneous Tin Company) 生田萬
Hideto Iwai (Hi-bye) 岩井秀人
Ryo Iwamatsu (Origato Plastico, Theatrical Group En, Komatsuza) 岩松了
Masahiro Iwasaki (Taiyosoku) 岩崎正裕
Yudai Kamisato (OKAZAKI ART THEATRE) 神里雄大
Tatsuo Kaneshita (Gazire Troupe) 鐘下辰男
Juro Kara (Red Tent, Karagumi, Karazemi, Shinjuku Ryozanpaku) 唐十朗
Shoji Kokami (Daisan Butai, Kyoko no Gekijou) 鴻上尚史
Yuko Kuwabara (Kakuta) 桑原裕子
Shiro Maeda (Gotanndadan) 前田司郎
Tomohiro Maekawa (Ikiume) 前川知大
Nozomi Makino (MOP) 牧野ノゾミ
Masataka Matsuda (Marebito-no-Kai) 松田正隆
Shu Matsui (Sample) 松井周
Koki Mitani (Tokyo Sunshine Boys) 三谷幸喜
Daisuke Miura (Potudo-ru) 三浦大輔
Akio Miyazawa (U-Enchi Saisei Jigyodan) 宮沢章夫
Yukiko Motoya (Gekidan Motoya Yukiko) 本谷有希子
Ai Nagai (Nitosha) 永井愛
Keishi Nagatsuka (Asagaya Spiders) 長塚圭史
Hideki Noda (NODA MAP) 野田秀樹
Toshiki Okada (chelfitsch) 岡田利規
Ren Saito (Jiyu Gekijou) 斎藤憐
Yoji Sakate (Rinkogun) 坂手洋二
Keralino Sandorovich (Origato Plastico, Kenko, Nylon 100°C, Kera Map) ケラリーノ・サンドロヴィッチ
Misaki Setoyama (Minamoza) 瀬戸山美咲
Yukio Shiba (mamagoto) 柴幸男
Toshiro Suzue 鈴江俊郎
Junichiro Takeuchi (Shakosha, Hiho Zero Bankan, JIS Kikaku) 竹内銃一郎
Hideo Tsuchida (MONO) 土田英生
Norihiko Tsukuda (B-Kyu Yugekitai) 佃典彦
Eriko Watanabe (Three Circles, Uchudo) 渡辺えりこ
Tokiko Yamaoka (Gekidan Gyotou) 山岡徳貴子
Masakazu Yamazaki (Society of the Hand) 山崎正和
Mainly Working as Writers/Playwrights
Minoru Betsuyaku (Society of the Hand, Waseda Shogekijou) 別役実
Koji Hasegawa (Hirosaki Gekijou) 長谷川孝治
So Kitamura (TPO Shidan, Suisei ’86) 北村想
Kunio Shimizu (Sakurasha, Winter Tree Theatre Company) 清水邦夫
Deceased
Matsuyo Akimoto 秋元松代
Hisashi Inoue 井上ひさし
Junji Kinoshita 木下順二
Rio Kishida (Tenjo Saijiki Theatre Laboratory, Kishida Rio Inc., Rakutendan) 岸田理生
Ken Miyamoto 宮本研
Shogo Ota 太田省吾
Shuji Terayama (Tenjo Saijiki Theatre Laboratory) 寺山修司
Kohei Tsuka (Kohei Tsuka Inc.) つか こうへい
Who would you consider to be the top five contemporary Japanese playwrights?
@Michael Early
It’s hard to narrow it down to a definitive top five. But I would say you could not miss out Daisuke Miura, Shu Matsui and Ryuta Horai.
It is easier if we broaden it beyond “just” writers. People like Akira Takayama or Toshiki Okada are more directors than playwrights. (I.e. the text is not so important as presenting their final vision on stage, and even Okada’s work is even abroad rarely directed by someone other than himself.) Likewise Kuro Tanino is many things (painter, psychiatrist, director, set designer) but I doubt he’d want to be called a playwright, though he certainly merits inclusion in a “top five”.