Recent studies have shown both association and linkage between a Gly40-Ser mutation in the glucagon receptor gene and NIDDM in French patients with familial NIDDM. This mutation was present in heterozygous form in 4.6% of diabetic probands but only 1% of the French population, suggesting that it was an important risk factor in the development of NIDDM. A total of 348 unrelated Japanese subjects (220 with NIDDM, 53 with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and 75 normal subjects) were screened for the presence of the Gly40-Ser mutation. Seventy-two percent of the NIDDM patients and 52% of IGT subjects had a positive family history of NIDDM. The Gly40-Ser mutation, which could be readily detected in a positive control subject, was not found in any of the 348 Japanese subjects studied. Thus, the Gly40-Ser mutation does not play an important role in the pathogenesis of NIDDM in Japanese patients.