Population studies on the five loci LDLR, GYPA, HBGG, D7S8, and GC (PM loci) were carried out in a sample of 366 unrelated Japanese individuals living in a central region of Japan using the AmpliType PM PCR Amplification and Typing kit (Perkin Elmer). For all loci, no significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium could be found in the Japanese population sample. The combined mean exclusion chance and power of discrimination for the PM loci were 0.68 and 0.993, respectively. The Japanese and Chinese population data were similar for all loci other than D7S8. Significant differences were observed between the Japanese population data and the 16 other population data compared for three loci or more. The PM loci in 18 population data demonstrate that PM typing is a useful technique for forensic identity in those populations. Tables, references