Aim Episodic memory is vulnerable to deterioration in people suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Currently, the Logical Memory (LM) subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale‐Revised (WMS‐R) is used internationally as an operational definition to identify people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, the Japanese version of the LM has not been adequately normalized for old‐old people. Therefore, norms of the LM for people aged 75 years and over are required, and the effects of sex, age and education on performance were evaluated. Methods A total of 50 (27 female and 23 male) participants without a history of dementia and symptomatic stroke events recruited from the community and hospital populations were investigated using the Mini‐Mental State Examination, the LM and some interference tasks. Results The mean scores (standard deviations) of the sample were 15.5 (5.4) on LM‐I and 9.9 (6.6) on LM‐II. The distributions of the LM‐I and ‐II scores satisfied the normality assumption. The LM‐I and LM‐II scores correlated with age and the LM‐I score correlated with educational background. Conclusions For the Japanese version of the LM, the means, standard deviations and distribution features of the old‐old sample are presented. Although the normal sample was chosen to closely match the demographic profile of the Japanese population, the present sample might have had a higher educational background than the age‐matched population, especially the males. Further study is required to standardize the Japanese version of the LM subtest for each 5‐year interval for latter‐stage elderly people. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2013; 13: 726–730.