On February 3, we held an online conference with the Brazilian Embassy, the Nagoya, Hamamatsu, and Tokyo consulates, and the NPO MAIKEN on the mental health of Brazilians living in Japan.
First, Sachio Miura, President of the NPO MAIKEN, who is a research collaborator, talked about the transition of Japan and Brazil and the origins of MAIKEN and MEICIS activities, and then Toho University Fukui introduced the mental health of foreign residents and the activities of MEICIS.
Each participant showed great interest in this activity, and for one and a half hours, we exchanged opinions in both directions while interpreting. For example, there were questions about the problem of stigma for mental disorders and how to deal with people who are suspected of having mental disorders, and we exchanged discussions with previous research and knowledge gained through actual field activities.
The Brazilian Consulate has been providing mental health care for Brazilians living in Japan for some time, and confirmed its policy of collaborating with MEICIS to provide more specialized support and connect them to medical institutions when necessary.
