This article is a list of Japanese people working in the cinema industry who have been nominated for or won an Academy Award. 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 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: Sanzà  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 Katà  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 for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
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.