Haruka Tōno (1991–) is a Japanese novelist whose fiction explores loneliness, physicality, and the emotional uncertainties of contemporary young adults. He made his literary debut by winning the 56th Bungei Prize in 2019 for "Kairyō" ("Improvement"), which also earned him the 163rd Akutagawa Prize in 2020. Centered on the relationship between an international student and a Japanese university student, the novel examines cultural difference, intimacy, and the challenges of communication in contemporary society with understated precision.
