Jungians and the Rise of Psychotherapy in Japan: A Brief Historical Note

Scholars of transcultural psychiatry have long wondered why psychoanalysis has remained marginal in Japan, despite its early introduction there. Psychotherapy, however, has been steadily growing in popularity, and Jungians have played no small part in this development. This article provides a brief historical sketch of psychotherapy in Japan by focusing on how Jungians have cultivated a following through imaginative cultural critiques and therapeutic practices such as sandplay therapy. The article also touches upon the particularly Jungian themes that have appealed to popular audiences, as well as the dilemmas psychotherapists have encountered in their attempts to institutionalize psychotherapy as a form of clinical practice in Japan.