Three Gram-negative, aerobic, halophilic, non-motile, yellowish-pigmented bacteria, designated KMM 3896, KMM 3897 and KMM 3899(T), were isolated from coastal seawater and sediment samples of the Sea of Japan, Russia. The isolates were shown to belong to the same species on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities (99.6-99.9 %) and DNA-DNA relatedness (73-98 %). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences demonstrated that the isolates formed a subcluster within the genus Kangiella in the class Gammaproteobacteria. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between strain KMM 3899(T) and its closest phylogenetic neighbours, Kangiella koreensis SW-125(T) and Kangiella aquimarina SW-154(T), were 96.6 and 95.5 %, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic differences and phylogenetic distances, it is proposed that strains KMM 3896, KMM 3897 and KMM 3899(T) are assigned to a novel species of the genus Kangiella, Kangiella japonica sp. nov. The type strain is KMM 3899(T) (=NRIC 0764(T) =JCM 16211(T)).