Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the quality characteristics of glutinous japonica rice from Northeast China and identify the key indicators and threshold ranges for selecting rice varieties suitable for high-quality glutinous rice preparation. The results showed significant differences in amylose and ash content among different japonica glutinous rice varieties. The coefficient of variation for grain length and length-to-width ratio of both brown and milled rice was less than 5.00%. Nongzhan No.2 exhibited the lowest broken rice rate, while Longjing 57 had the highest milling yield. Nongzhan No.2 displayed the highest peak viscosity and breakdown, along with the lowest trough viscosity, final viscosity, and setback, resulting in the highest sensory score and superior eating quality of cooked glutinous rice. Yongnian No.10 produced glutinous rice with the lowest hardness, whereas Longjing 57 yielded the highest adhesiveness. Significant correlations were observed between protein content, gel consistency, pasting properties, and the eating quality of glutinous rice. The prediction model for glutinous rice quality exhibited a high fitting degree (R² = 0.965) with the total sensory score. Cluster analysis indicated that optimal glutinous rice quality was achieved when the trough viscosity ranged between 260.00 mPa·s and 401.50 mPa·s, and the setback was below 283.5 mPa·s. Nongnian No.2 demonstrated excellent processing quality, pasting properties, and eating quality, making it an ideal raw material for high-quality glutinous rice production. Starch pasting parameters measured under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions could more accurately predict the quality of glutinous rice prepared under corresponding processing conditions.