To elucidate whether small diameter at breast height correlates with tree death in an overcrowded tree population, we analyzed self-thinning occurring over the course of 37 years in naturally established Pinus densiflora populations in Sugadaira, central Japan. As trees grew, their diameters at breast height increased and the number of trees consequently decreased. Spatial distribution, which was initially clumped, changed accordingly, first becoming random and finally uniform. We calculated the "available area" of individual trees to elucidate the contribution of this parameter to tree mortality. Small diameter at breast height was strongly correlated with tree death, with a slight correlation observed between tree death and small available area of individual trees.