Positive Psychological Interventions in Japan: Traditional and Digital Methods

Japan is currently facing a host of social issues, including a declining birth rate, an aging population, and a lack of human resources, and successors. Consequently, Japanese youth face numerous mental health issues. In this chapter, we begin by introducing the current state of the youth’s mental health in Japan. We discuss depression, truancy, suicide, bullying, and game addiction, particularly with regard to recent changes and realities associated with the spread of COVID-19. Further, we evaluate mental health issues not only among young people but also among those who work with them such as educators and support professionals like childcare workers, psychologists, and others. Then, we explain the functioning of various resilience-related factors derived from positive psychology to address these mental health issues in Japan, focusing on the research conducted by our group (RE-COVER). Next, we introduce a study of a school-based positive psychological intervention for children conducted independently in Japan. In particular, we describe how the researchers adapted these interventions to Japanese culture. Finally, we introduce a website created by us, named “I’m HAPPY,” that allows users to avail the benefits of positive psychology. This website is an information and communications technology-based educational tool that enables children to learn to cultivate strength and learn the ability to recover from stressful situations quickly. Although the program primarily targets junior high school students, it offers four content areas (learning about resilience, learning about emotional control, changing feelings and emotions, and finding one’s own strengths) that can be utilized by upper elementary and high school students. Finally, we analyze the future of youth mental health in Japan and the measures being considered for it.