Lonicera japonica Thunb.， a semi-evergreen liana， produces the dried medicinal material Lonicerae Japonicae Flos， derived from either unopened flower buds or newly opened flowers. Recognized as a dual-purpose medicinal and edible substance in pharmacopeial standards， this species holds significant agricultural and pharmaceutical value. Against the backdrop of increasing drought risks due to global climate change and the implementation of China′s “Chinese Medicinal Materials Mountain-Forest Cultivation” policy， assessing the drought resistance of L. japonica germplasm resources holds significant implications for breeding drought-tolerant varieties. In this study， drought stress was simulated using polyethylene glycol-6000 （PEG-6000） solutions at six concentration gradients （0%， 5%， 10%， 15%， 20%， 25%） to simulate water-deficit conditions. The results determined that 10% PEG-6000 was the optimal concentration for evaluating germination-stage traits， whereas 15% PEG-6000 was most suitable for assessing seedling-stage morphological characteristics. Compared to the control （0% PEG-6000）， under 10% PEG-6000 stress a significant reduction in germination potential （75.34%） and germination rate （42.38%） across were observed across 142 L. japonica germplasms， with notable variation in response magnitudes between these parameters. Similarly， exposure to 15% PEG-6000 led to an 8.24% decrease in root length and a 34.38% decline in shoot height， revealing distinct stress responses between root and shoot systems. These differential responses indicate substantial variability in drought resistance among the germplasms. To comprehensively evaluate drought resistance， we deployed correlation analysis， principal component analysis （PCA）， membership function analysis， and cluster analysis. Based on this integrated assessment， the germplasm accessions were classified into six distinct drought-resistance categories： 6 highly drought-resistant， 9 drought-resistant， 73 moderately resistant， 41 drought-sensitive， and 13 highly sensitive. These findings provide a robust germplasm resource for the precise introduction and cultivation of L. japonica in both arid and non-arid regions， selective breeding of drought-tolerant varieties， and future investigations into the molecular regulatory networks underlying drought resistance in this species.