To investigate changes in fatty acid and lipid composition of maturing perilla (Perilla frutescens var. japonica Hara) seeds, Suweon 10 and Jeju varieties were subjected to lipid analysis. The results were summarized as follows; As perilla seeds matured, content of ether-extractable lipids increased continuously to 46.3% in Suweon and 24.0% in Jeju. In ether-extractable lipids of mature perilla seeds, palmitic acid was 9.4∼18.2%, stearic acid 2.2∼5.1%, oleic acid 19.1∼32.7%, linoleic acid 12.4∼15.3% and linolenic acid 30.6∼54.1% of total fatty acid. Therefore, major fatty acid were unsaturated in mature seeds while those were saturated in the early stage of seed development. As perilla seeds matured, content of neutal lipids in total lipids increased. Neutral lipids of mature seed was 70.1% in Suweon 10 and 51.5% in Jeju, respectively. Triglycerides, free fatty acid and diglycerides were major components of ether-extractable neutral lipids. Triglyceride, which showed relatively rapid increase in the early stage of development, increased to 61.4% in Suweon 10 and 68.2% in Jeju, respectively.