Soil salinity and alkalinity are key abiotic stresses that limit crop growth and yield worldwide. Balanced N fertilization is important for improving rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield via efficient utilization of P and K under saline and alkaline soil conditions. In this study, a japonica rice cultivar, Kenjing 8, was used to investigate the effects of N fertilizer on rice yield, as well as N, P, and K status, in a 2‐yr field experiment in saline‐alkaline soil in Heilongjiang Province, northeast China. The plants were assigned to the following five treatment groups: no N fertilizer, or conventional, balanced, reduced, and postponed N fertilizer management. Compared with conventional N management practice, balanced and reduced N management practices increased the concentrations of N, P, and K in the leaves, stem‐sheaths, and panicles at full heading (FH) and maturity; however, postponed N management led to the opposite results. Balanced N management increased N, P, and K mobilization to the leaves (from FH to maturity) by 49, 43, and 67%, respectively, resulting in the highest crop yields among all the N management practices studied. Furthermore, rice yield was positively correlated with N, P, and K accumulation and rates of nutrient mobilization to the leaves, stem‐sheaths, and panicles at maturity. The application of 150 or 135 kg N ha−1, and the proportion of 4:3:1:2 in the pre‐transplanting, mid‐tillering, panicle initiation, and panicle differentiation stages, may increase rice yield and facilitate efficient utilization of nutrients in saline‐alkaline soil.