Shigeru Yanagawa is a Japanese scriptwriter and series composer born on May 18, 1950, in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Kanagawa Prefectural Sagamihara Technical High School, he began his career in the anime industry by joining the production company Tatsunoko Production. During his time at Tatsunoko, he was assigned to the planning and literary department, where he contributed to the planning of various series, including those in the Time Bokan series and Paul no Miracle Daisakusen, while also writing scripts for productions like Kaba Totto and Inakappe Taishō.

In 1979, Yanagawa married a colleague, the designer Akiko Shimomoto, who later became known as Noa Kawai. After his wife left Tatsunoko Production in 1981, Yanagawa departed from the company in 1983 to work exclusively as a freelance scriptwriter.

Yanagawa is recognized as an original creator for the 1980 anime television series Mori no Yōki na Kobito-tachi: Berufi to Rirubitto, known in English as The Littl' Bits. For this production, he is credited alongside Tomoyuki Miyata as a creator, with the series being produced by Tatsunoko Production.

His career as a writer spans numerous notable television anime series from the 1980s and 1990s. He contributed scripts and served as a series composer for popular titles such as Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Wing-Man, the Sailor Moon series, Akazukin Chacha, and Ranma ½ Nettōhen. His work in the 1980s also included contributions to Touch and Maple Town Monogatari. Beyond television, his writing credits extend to original video animations, the tokusatsu series Denji Sentai Megaranger, and the 2013 animated film Neko no Fuku no Nagai Tabi.

In his later career, Yanagawa has engaged in activities as a picture book author, often collaborating with his wife. Together, they have worked on several publications, including adaptations of classic stories and original works under the Little Joy series.