Japan has experienced a jump in the diabetes prevalence rates. We want to examine whether increased intake of soft drink and juices have contributed to this jump.Participants were 27,585 Japanese men and women aged 40-59 years who had no prior history of diabetes. Intakes of soft drink, 100% fruit juice and vegetable juice were measured by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios of type 2 diabetes over 5 and 10 years were estimated by using logistic regression.A total of 484 men and 340 women reported newly diagnosed diabetes during 10 years. High soft drink intake was associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes in women but not men; odds ratio (95% CI) for women with almost daily consumption versus non-consumers was 2.10 (1.23-3.59; P-trend = 0.004) and 1.79 (1.11-2.89; P-trend = 0.01) at 5 and 10 years, respectively. The association was evident in overweight, highly educated and premenopausal women, and women with blue collar job. Intakes of 100% fruit juice and vegetable juice were not associated with risk of type 2 diabetes for either gender (P-trend >0.05).Soft drink but not pure juices consumption was associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes in Japanese women.