In this report, we evaluated the allele frequency of the D/N394 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in exon 11 of the parkin gene in 200 Japanese patients with sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD) and 200 normal controls. Although the reported allele frequency of G-to-A (D/N394) is 2% in Caucasians, this SNP was not detected in Japanese patients and healthy controls. Evaluation of L/I272 polymorphism, a C-to-A transition in exon 7, showed the polymorphism in only six controls, but not in PD patients. Our results suggest that the frequencies of parkin polymorphisms are different among Asians and Caucasians.