Japonica lutea is a small butterfly found in the East Palearctic that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.

Honey-yellow, the forewing with a broad black distal border.

Underside with a white submarginal line, which separates the disc from the orange-red distal margin; on the disc white- edged bands, a short similar hand on the cross-veins of the forewing.

The butterflies occur in August on wide roads in forests of high trees and also in bush-woods; they are rather plentiful in many places.

The Continental specimens do not differ from Japanese ones; the black border of the forewing varies rather strongly in width among the individuals from the same locality.