Airborne particulates were collected at Wajima in Noto peninsula, Ishikawa, Japan, every week from September 17, 2004 to June 3, 2005. Both PAHs and NPAHs in the extracts from the particulates were analysed by HPLC with fluorescence and chemiluminescence detection. During the period of central heating of China (October 15 — April 15) and the period of sandstorms detected in Wajima (April 15 — 21), atmospheric concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs increased significantly when the northwest wind was predominant at Wajima. The concentration ratio of NPAHs to PAHs was not similar to that of Japanese urban air but similar to that of Chinese urban air. The increase of the atmospheric concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs could attribute to a long-range transportation of combustion particles from China.