Akimitsu Takagi (1930-2015) was a Japanese novelist and literary critic. He was born in Tokyo and graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1954. Takagi is best known for his mystery novels, which often feature a detective solving a complex case. He won the Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1965 for his novel The Tattoo Murder Case. Takagi was also a prolific literary critic, writing extensively on the works of authors such as Yukio Mishima and Yasunari Kawabata. He was a professor at the University of Tokyo from 1975 until his retirement in 1995. Takagi's works have been translated into many languages and his influence on the mystery genre is still felt today.