The effects of improved rice bran oil on the characteristics of exhaust emissions have been experimentally examined by a single cylinder, four cycle, direct injection, water-cooled agricul-tural diesel engine operating at several loads and speeds. The experiments are conducted with light oil, rice bran oil, and improved rice bran oil as a fuel. The fuel injection timing is fixed to 22$^{circ}$ BTDC regardless of fuel types, engine loads and speeds. To reduce the viscosity of rice bran oil, it is used with the methods of heating, methyl ester and ultrasonic system in a highly viscous rice bran oil. In this study, it is found that the brake specific fuel consumption rate of light oil is the lowest and that of improved rice bran oils is lower than that of pure rice bran oil, and NO$_{x}$ emissions of light oil are the lowest and those of pure rice bran oil are the high- est, while soot emissions of light oil are the highest and those of pure and improved rice bran oils are lower than that of light oil. However these results are not amply satisfied with the emissions regulation limit using the pure and improved rice bran oil as fuels in diesel engines.s.