Here are some useful books in English about Japanese contemporary art. For references in other languages, you can also visit the Bibliographie presented in the French pages of the site.
Laurence P. Roberts A Dictionnary of Japanese Artists : Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Prints, Lacquer, John Weatherhill Publishing, New York, 1974.
A Dictionnary of Japanese Art Terms, Bijutsu Shuppansha, Tôkyô, 1990, 1998.
ART BOOKS
Hugo Munsterberg The art of Modern Japan, from the Meiji Restauration to the Meiji Centennial, 1868-1968
Alexandra Munroe (sous la direction de) Japanese Art after 1945 : Scream against the Sky, Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1994.
Irmtraud Schaarschmidt-Richter (sous la direction de) Japanese Modern Art - Painting from 1910 to 1970
DESIGN AND CRAFTS
Rupert Faulkner Japanese Studio Crafts, Tradition and the Avant-garde, Laurence King/ Victoria and Albert Museum Publishing, London, 1995.
Matthias Dietz/ Michael Mönninger Japanese design, Taschen, 1994.