The present study was carried out to reveal the characteristics of organism responsible for so called vibriosis prevailing in warm water season among cultured kuruma prawn Penaeus japonicus. A bacterium was isolated from the heart, lymphoid organ and muscle of the diseased kuruma prawn. Six strains obtained from diseased kuruma prawn in some culture farms in Namhae and Anhung from august to october in 1989 were submitted to the morphological, biochemical and physiological characterization. All the strains were gram-negative, nonsporning short rods with one polar flagellum. Glucose was fermented with no gas production by these strains. Some distinguishing features of the organisms were negative to lysine, arginine, ornithine decarboxilization test. In general, the temperature $20{sim}27^{circ}C$, the NaCl concentration of 2~3% and pH of 6~8 were optimal for the growth in peptone water. The organisms were sensitive to the vibrio static agent 0/129. The isolated should be identified as Vibrio sp.. No essential differences in histopathological finding were noted between the naturally and the experimentally infected prawns. Most characteristic pathological changes were extensive necrosis caused by severe bacteria invasion and multiple formation of meranized nodules in the lymphoid organ.