Nitrification characteristics in rice rhizosphere were studied using two Japonica rice cultivars with different nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), 4007 (high NUE) and Elio (low NUE). We determined pH, ammonium (NH+4-N) and nitrate (NO-3-N), nitrification and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) abundance in root surface, rhizosphere and bulk soil under the N0 (0 kgN hm-2), N180 (180 kgN hm-2) and N300 (300 kgN hm-2) levels at the late growth stages in the field conditions. The pH values in root surface soil were significantly lower than those in rhizosphere and bulk soil at heading, filling and harvesting stages, ranging from 5.95 to 6.84. NH+4-N concentration decreased but NO-3-N increased with the plant development. N application increased NH+4-N and NO-3-N concentrations in all soil samples. Depletion sections of both NH+4 and NO-3 were found in root surface soil. The NH+4-N concentration increased with increasing distance from the root surface. The maximal NO-3 concentration was in rhizosphere soil, then the bulk soil and the lowest was in root surface soil. Nitrification activities in both root surface and rhizosphere soils significantly decreased with the incubation time, but the reverse was true for the bulk soil. N application improved nitrification activities in root surface soil grown with 4007 both at heading and harvesting stages, and also improved nitrification activity in rhizosphere soil grown with Elio at heading stage. But there was no significant difference between N180 and N300 treatments. The nitrification activity showed such order as rhizosphere>root surface>bulk soil at the whole sampling stages. AOB abundance in both root surface and rhizosphere soils significantly decreased with the incubation time, while those in the bulk soil indicated no difference as the time passed. For example, the AOB abundances in root surface soil at heading, filling and harvesting stages were 16.7 ×105, 8.77×105 and 8.01×105 g-1 dry soil, respectively. There was no significant difference of AOB abundance between root surface soil and rhizosphere soil, but they were all significantly higher than those in the bulk soil. As far as the two rice cultivars were concerned, there was no difference with the soil pH values. The 4007 grown soil NH+4-N concentration was higher than Elio. NO-3-N concentrations in root surface, rhizosphere and bulk soils for Elio grown treatment under N180 level at heading stage were higher than those for 4007. But NO-3-N concentrations in root surface, rhizosphere and bulk soils for Elio grown treatment at filling and harvesting stages were significantly lower than those for 4007. Nitrification activities and AOB abundance in bulk soil had no difference among the three N treatments. Nitrification activity and AOB abundance in root surface and rhizosphere soil for Elio grown treatment were significantly higher than those for 4007 before filling stage, while the reverse was true after filling stage, and the rice yield and NUE for Elio were much lower than 4007. That might be due to the higher nitrification and higher NO-3-N concentration in thizosphere soil for 4007 than Elio after filling stage, which caused more NO-3-N absorption by 4007 than Elio. We concluded that nitrification and AOB abundance in root surface and rhizosphere soil at filling and harvesting stages were important to a high rice yield and high NUE.