Fatty acid‐binding proteins (FABPs) play key roles as transport vehicles of fatty compounds throughout the cytoplasm. Human FABP3, one of the FABPs, is present in a wide variety of tissues with highest concentration in cardiac and skeletal muscle. In an effort to identify polymorphic markers in potential candidate genes for type 2 diabetes, we have sequenced the full gene of FABP3, including the –1,500bp promoter region. Fourteen polymorphisms were identified in FABP3: two ins/dels, two STRs, and ten SNPs (two in promoter, nine in intron, two in 3'UTR, and one in the 3' end). Among identified polymorphisms, five common sites including c.‐530underscore;‐532delCTC, c.‐345T>C, c.348+429(CA)9‐18, c.246+1806G>C, and c.634+483delT were genotyped in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and normal control (n=669). By logistic and multiple regression analysis, one insertion/deletion polymorphism in the 3' end (c.634+483delT) of FABP3 appeared to be weakly associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes (OR=1.78–1.94, P=0.03–0.04) and waist/hip ratio (WHR) (P=0.03).