Quality evaluation of rice in Japan can be carried out by the application of sensory test and physico-chemical determinations. The former is a basic method although it requires a large amount of samples and many panellers. The latter is an indirect method to estimate the eating quality based on the chemical composition, cooking quality, gelatinization temperature and/or the physical properties of cooked rice. Although it is impossible to estimate accurately the eating quality by only one physico-chemical determination, if a rapid, simple and more accurate method to evaluate rice quality could be developed, it would be very useful for both the producer and the consumer of rice.