The relationship between genotypes associated with restriction fragment length polymorphisms at the P450 CYP2D locus and the metabolic phenotypes for sparteine in healthy Japanese subjects was investigated. Four distinct restriction fragments of 44 kb, 29 kb, 11.5 kb or 16 + 9 kb after digestion with Xba I were observed. The genotype of Xba I 11.5 kb, which is predictive of the poor metabolizer phenotype in Caucasians is also associated with Japanese poor metabolizers. Most Xba I 44 kb are associated with the extensive metabolizer phenotype. However, one Xba I 44 kb haplotype in linkage disequilibrium with a Bam HI restriction fragment length polymorphism allele, designated Bam HI 2.3 kb-, appears to be a novel mutant CYP2D6 allele in Japanese subjects having the poor metabolizer phenotype.