Mental health issues affecting ethnic minorities in Japan

Abstract

Although Japan is becoming a multicultural society, the policy for ethnic minorities is not as mature as that in Western countries. Mental health issues among new ethnic minorities will be discussed. New minorities are mainly South-East Asian refugees, foreign brides from the Philippines, Korea and China, and returnees from China. Because their communities are very small, they tend to have great difficulties in coping with the Japanese society. Problems in their adjustment to the host country will be discussed.