Overview of the Japanese Mental Health System

In the past decade, the Japanese government has instituted numerous mental health policies and laws relevant to mental health. This mental health system reform is aimed at deinstitutionalization and the improvement of community mental health, as Japan has one of the highest numbers of psychiatric beds per capita in the world, with 345,696 psychiatric beds in 2008. This article describes the current situation of mental health services, the mental health system reform process and its achievements, and the future challenges.