Behavioral medicine has its substantial origin long before it was termed and formally defined at the Yale Conference held at Yale University in 1977.
Weiss (1992) recollected that in the previous century, Osler, W. (1849-1919) already observed an association between aggressive behavior and coronary heart disease and Mesmer, F.A. (1733-1815), Freud, S. (1856-1939) and others demonstrated the influence of mind on the body. While Cannon, W.B. (1871-1945) established the concept of “fight or flight response” to describe the relationship between environmental stimuli and physiological response, a concept, by 1930, was developed by Alexander (1950) that through prolonged autonomic arousal, conflict could cause identifiable organ disease, and eventually the publication of Dumber (1947) contributed to widespread acceptance of the term “psychosomatic medicine”. Psychosomatic medicine, according to Weiss (1992), gained much attention of biomedical field during 1950s and early 1960s, but, nevertheless, for the decade after the late 1960s, it had lost momentum and interest in the mainstream of biomedicine.
Behavior therapy, based on behavior principles or learning theory, and making a remarkable contribution to the treatment and assessment of a varietyof mental and behavioral disorders, also played an important role in the development of behavioral medicine.
In the last few decades, attentions have been focused to chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus (Table 1) and consequently, the importance of the role of new concepts, e.g. health care systems, improvement of life styles, social support, self-care, self-help, self-regulation and the like based on the circular epistemology, not on the linear one, has widely been noticed and the trend for protecting human rights, privacy, informed concent and the like, played the role of a favorable wind for this discipline. In the same way, the development of biofeedback as well as fiscal need for cost containment in medical expenses could also be powerful driving forces for the progressof behavioral medicine.
For the wholesome development of behavioral medicine, as Weiss (1979) claims, both biomedical and behavioral scientists must become more cognizant of the science other than their own disciplines. In fact, though it may be impossible to eliminate all the barriers existing between the two disciplines, we should do our best toward reducing these barriers and thus make it possible to do a lot for the promotion of behavioral medicine and consequently add much to the promotion of the health in general.

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The Japanese Society of Behavioral Medicine (JSBM) was founded in June, 1992, following establishment of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine (ISBM) in 1990. After foundation of the ISBM, the author was involved in the establishment and early development of the JSBM as the cochairman of the International and Organizational Liaison Committee (and a Governing Council member) of the ISBM. In this paper, following a short discussion of the definition, new methodology and scope of behavioral medicine, the establishment and early development of the JSBM were described. The contents were as follows: (1) Foundation of the ISBM, (2) The 12th International Symposium of the University of Tokyo on Behavioral Medicine, (3) Foundation of the JSBM, (4) Full membership in the ISBM to the JSBM, and (5) Early development of the JSBM (i.e., First Congress, Editorial Board of International Journal, Issues of Newsletter and Japanese Journal, and First Educational Seminar).

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Any disorder is created out of a complex interaction of sociocultural factors, physical and psychological stress, the personality of the person subjected to these influences, and the inability of the person to adapt adequately to the pressures of the factors.
For example, the Japanese tend to repress their personal opinions and feelings, and to engage in selfsacrificing efforts for the purpose of winning others' approval in their industrial society. To date, they have been socialized and managed under fear-based hierarchical paradigms of social relationships in workplace, school, and community. While they may have generally adapted to the paradigms, they often live extremely stressful lives that may precipitate stress-related disorders.
In the post-industrial era, it is not sufficient to simply supply consumers with the products and services they need. It is essential to produce ones to meet their feeling needs as well. Managers and their employces are expected to show due sensitivity to customers' feelings and to create products and services fulfilled the customers' feelings. That is, they need self-assertiveness with empathy for others' feeling. It is not enough for them to repress their own feeling and to demonstrate self-sacrificing compliances to their boss.
Their affliction with stress-disorders is strengthening their self-abhorrence and depression. Through taking advantage of the affliction, they may grow from non-assertiveness for the purpose of winning others' approval into self-assertiveness with empathy for others' feelings, which may adapt well to post-industrial cultures.
Medical practitioners tend to engage mostly in symptomatic therapies with little consideration to changing their behavior patterns to produce stress-related disorders. Medical cultures in post-industrial Japan need to change from paternalism reflecting the old fear-based hierarchical paradigms into mutual-respecting relationships between medical providers and their users. The users need be supported in their behavioral health self-determination and growth through effective counseling.

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Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), the integration of behavioral and cognitive therapies including a wide variety of approaches, has been recently evolved. The present paper aimed (1) to overview CBT and (2) to discuss the significance along with future directions of the therapy regimen, in relation to behavioral medicine.
Concerning (1), the authors first examined the nature of CBT, stressing the broad range it covers. The authors then described some of the major approaches in CBT, rational emotive behavior therapy, cognitive therapy and stress inoculation training, focussing on the basic ideas and techniques of each approach.
With respect to (2), it was indicated that CBT has much possibility to contribute to behavioral medicine for its effectiveness and common orientations to share with behavioral medicine.
Recent trends in CBT suggest that the therapy regimen still needs to be modified as it has been. Reconsidering the regimen, taking the constructivist and developmental views as presented in “developmental cognitive therapies” into consideration, must have much prospect. However, holding the scientific methodology in CBT as in behavior therapy is indispensable, if we conceptualize the former as a developed form of the latter.
Further development of the CBT regimen after such a reconsideration, though it may not be easy, will augment its possibility of further contribution to behavioral medicine.

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