James Yoshimura

James Yoshimura is an American writer and producer, best known for his screenwriting work on the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street and the short-lived Fox series The Jury, for which he served as a co-creator. He also co-wrote Homicide: The Movie, a made-for-television film that came out in 2000, after the series ended. Yoshimura has received two Emmy Award nominations: one for Homicide: The Movie and one for the Homicide episode "Subway", which also won a Peabody Award for excellence in television broadcasting.

Yoshimura was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended the Yale School of Drama in New Haven, Connecticut, where he had a playwriting class with classmate and future comedian Lewis Black. Yoshimura began his career writing for theater. Among his theater works were the plays "Union Boys", and "Mercenaries". The latter play was about three American mercenaries who are placed on trial following a defeated coup of a leftist island government. Although The New York Times was critical of the play, which it said lacked adequate characterization, reviewer Frank Rich compliments "its author's willingness to reach, as well as his flickers of talent: Mr. Yoshimura can write theatrical scenes, spin dark jokes and ask big questions."

Yoshimura met Tom Fontana in 1988 at a mutual friend's housewarming party in Los Angeles. Fontana accused Yoshimura of being a "snobby theater type" who looks down on television people. The two became friends after the party, however, and Yoshimura credits Fontana with getting him work and teaching him how to write for television.

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