Provided is a conifer seed selecting method for identifying and selecting only conifer seeds which have a normal embryo, from a mixture, of an identical species, of conifer seeds some having a normal embryo and some not having a normal embryo, the method comprising the steps of: (a) irradiating the seeds with near infrared light, measuring the spectrum of near infrared light reflected from each seed, and obtaining data of reflectance at each wavelength; (b) extracting, for each seed, data of reflectances at two specific wavelengths within a range of 750 to 2200 nm; (c) calculating, for each seed, the ratio between the extracted reflectances; and (d) comparing the ratio calculated in (c) with a threshold for the ratio of reflectances at the two specific wavelengths for determining whether the seed has a normal embryo, wherein (i) when there is a tendency that the ratio is lower than or equal to the threshold in a seed having a normal embryo, a seed having the ratio lower than or equal to the threshold is identified as a seed having a normal embryo, and (ii) when there is a tendency that the ratio is greater than the threshold in a seed having a normal embryo, a seed having the ratio greater than the threshold is identified as a seed having a normal embryo.