The present study reports the protective properties of a total methanol extract of B. platyphylla var. japonica against ultraviolet (UV)-C irradiation. Pretreatment of Chinese hamster fibroblast (V79-4) cells with a total methanol extract significantly increased cell survival following 300J/m² of UV-C irradiation. The total methanol extract was further fractionated into 5 fractions: n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethylacetate, n-butanol and water fractions. Among these fractions, B. platyphylla var. japonica ethylacetate, butanol and water fractions showed significant protective effects against the cellular damage induced by UV-C irradiation. In order to elucidate the mechanism underlying this protective effect, DPPH (Editor note: abbreviations should be spelled out at first use.) radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity were measured. Significant radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibitory activities were observed for the ethylacetate fraction. In summary, the present data demonstrate that an extract of B. platyphylla var. japonica has a significant protective effect against UV-C irradiation. The underlying mechanism of this protective effect may involve radical scavenging and inhibition of lipid peroxidation by the B. platyphylla var. japonica extract.