The frequency of appearance of HI antibody against Japanese encephalitis virus was investigated over the three-year period 1982 through 1984. The sample population consisted of 1306 cattle in Saitama prefecture (located in central Japan), and 536 cattle in Kagoshima prefecture (located in southern Japan). During the study period, there was no significant difference in the average antibody-positive rate between cattle in Kagoshima (68.8 %) and those in Saitama (65.5 %). Variations in the monthly antibody-positive rate and mean monthly antibody titer in the Saitama cattle followed a mountain-like pattern with the peak observed during summer. In the Kagoshima cattle, both parameters also increased in summer and these increases persisted even in winter. The distribution of antibody-positive rate as a function of age ranged from 64.0 % to 82.8 % in Saitama, though no correlation was observed between these two factors. In the Kagoshima cattle, however, the antibody-positive rate increased with age as follows; the values averaged 29.4 % in the one-year-old cattle group, 50.0 % in the two-year-old group, 47.4 % in the three-year-old group and 74.5 % in the four-year-old group. There was no significant correlation between the mean antibody titer and age in either Saitama cattle (15.3-22.5) or Kagoshima cattle (20.0-32.3)