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The U-box protein family of ubiquitin ligases is important in the biological processes of plant growth, development, and biotic and abiotic stress responses. Plants in the genus <i>Zoysia</i> are recognized as excellent warm-season turfgrass species with drought, wear and salt tolerance. In this study, we conducted the genome-wide identification of <i>plant U-box</i> (<i>PUB</i>) genes in <i>Zoysia japonica</i> based on U-box domain searching. In total, 71 <i>ZjPUB</i> genes were identified, and a protein tree was constructed of AtPUBs, OsPUBs, and ZjPUBs, clustered into five groups. The gene structures, characteristics, <i>cis</i>-elements and protein interaction prediction network were analyzed. There were mainly ABRE, ERE, MYB and MYC <i>cis</i>-elements distributed in the promoter regions of <i>ZjPUBs</i>. <i>ZjPUBs</i> were predicted to interact with PDR1 and EXO70B1, related to the abscisic acid signaling pathway. To better understand the roles of <i>ZjPUBs</i> under salt stress, the expression levels of 18 <i>ZjPUBs</i> under salt stress were detected using transcriptome data and qRT-PCR analysis, revealing that 16 <i>ZjPUBs</i> were upregulated in the roots under salt treatment. This indicates that <i>ZjPUBs</i> might participate in the <i>Z. japonica</i> salt stress response. This research provides insight into the <i>Z. japonica PUB</i> gene family and may support the genetic improvement in the molecular breeding of salt-tolerant zoysiagrass varieties.