Panagaeus japonicus is a species of ground beetle in the Panagaeinae subfamily that can be found in Japan, North Korea and Maritime province of Russia.

It is also known from various provinces of China such as Heilongjiang, Hubei, Jilin, and Shanxi.

[1] The species is black coloured with red spots on its wings.

[2] In Japan, the species can be found in Hakone, Miyanoshita and as far as Sapporo.

They prefer various moss and rotten stumps or trees where they are abundant.