Yo Kusakabe (born 1955) is a Japanese physician and novelist. After graduating from Osaka University Medical School, he worked as a surgeon, anesthesiologist, and medical officer in Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs before turning to fiction. Drawing on his extensive medical experience, he writes novels that explore medical ethics, aging, healthcare policy, and the realities of modern medicine. His best-known novel, "Haretsu" ("Burst"), examines the conflict between preserving individual lives and sustaining an aging society through a gripping medical thriller. Adapted into a television drama, the novel established him as one of Japan's leading writers of medical fiction and social suspense.