Firstly, the author mentioned Dr. Yujiro Ikemi who exerted himself to the foundation of the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine in 1959 with the support of the most distinguished professors of psychiatry, internal medicine and other departments at that time, which was followed by organizing the First Congress of this Society in Tokyo and the establishment of the first Institute of Psychosomatic Medicine in 1960. (In 1961, the first Department of Psychosomatic Medicine was established at Kyushu University following the system of the Department of Comprehensive Medicine of Temple University Medical Center and was named "Shinryonaika" in Japanese) Secondly, the author reviewed activities in the fields of research, clinical practice and education at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine under the leadership of the professors for three generations (the first Professor Y. Ikemi, the second Professor T Nakagawa and the third Professor C. Kubo) at Kyushu University and referred their remarkable contribution to the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine, Asian Chapter of Psychosomatic Medicine and International College of Psychosomatic Medicine. The author also introduced the Research Conference of Psychosomatic Disorders in Respiratory Organ founded as the specialized conference by the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine and the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Internal Medicine for the purpose of developing extensive and profound knowledge of psychosomatic medicine in internal medicine. Thirdly, the author asked the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine 1) to establish a department of psychosomatic medicine at all medical universities and graduate schools of medicine, 2) to design a curriculum and a clinical training program based on the bio-psycho -socio-eco-ethical (medical) model, 3) to set the evaluation standards for the quality of psychosomatic diagnosis and treatments based on the bio-psycho-socio-eco-ethical (medical) model, 4) to establish the adequate payment system for psychosomatic treatment in national health insurance, etc.

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The Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine was founded in 1959, with Yujiro Ikemi as its central figure. The first 20 years were a time of painstaking preparatory work. The next 20 years were spent in figurative road-building, and that time is the focus of this account. The Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine was able to join the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences in 1979. The field represented by the Society was officially approved as a specialty in 1996, and the Society achieved the legal status of an incorporated association in 1997. Thus the Society came to be established in academic terms, in clinical terms, and in legal terms, and it has continued to develop on that foundation up to the present. The development of psychosomatic medicine at the University of Tokyo is described with a focus on the first period of growth and on the period of establishment of the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine when a course on the subject was approved. The members of the board of the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine at the time that organization was founded included nine professors from the University of Tokyo. Moreover, it was Professor Sadataka Tasaka of the University of Tokyo who organized the second general assembly of the Society. However, the work of building the department's foundation was actually done by the mid-level and younger faculty members who founded the University of Tokyo Psychosomatic Medicine Discussion Group in 1963, including Hitoshi Ishikawa, Tatsushi Ishizaki, and Hiroyuki Suematsu as representative members. Then the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine was established as a clinical department in the University of Tokyo Branch Hospital in 1972, due in large part to the efforts of Dr. Ishikawa. The department moved along a thorny path to start. It obtained its own location for outpatient treatment, and made advances in clinical practice and clinical research. Under the second professor (this writer) to head the department, research and clinical practice were conducted on eating disorders, and an educational structure was established that included clinical training. This was elevated to the status of an authorized medical course in 1993. During the time of the third professor, Tomifusa Kuboki, the department was then integrated into the main hospital and acquired its own ward. The fourth, Professor Akira Akabayashi, has been engaging in the development of new research programs.

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Approximately fifty years have passed since the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine was established. To mark this juncture, I looked back on the history of this Society, and wrote this paper by focusing on the steps taken by Department of Psychosomatic Medicine Toho University and the activities of the Kanto Regional Chapter. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine Toho University was established in October 1980 after it spun off from Second Department of Internal Medicine Toho University. Initially, it started as the Laboratory of Psychosomatic Medicine, and was promoted in May 1991 to be named the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine which still exists to this day. I served as a professor of Department of Psychosomatic Medicine Toho University from October 1980 to March 1999 and worked to make the department develop and grow. I was succeeded in April 1999 by Professor Tsuboi, who still remains active in his post. In my paper, I first provided an overview of the past research activities, then outlined the activities of the Kanto Chapter by summarizing past trends and developments. Of all the Society's chapters, the Kanto region has the largest number of members. It holds regional meetings three times a year. Since starting these meetings in November 1963, a total of 109 such events have been held up to March 2007. At the 50th and 100th regional meetings, commemorative publications (a collection of abstracts), awarding of individuals with distinguished achievements, and other events were carried out to celebrate these turning points.

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The study of psychosomatic medicine was introduced by Prof. Kanehisa Takuya into the curriculum of the Department of Internal Medicine of Kagoshima University in 1960. Interest in the field was initially weak, but with the stress caused by changes in social systems and shifts in the types of diseases which were most prevalent, it grew. These developments, however, were not reflected in the medical education curriculum. Since the 1980's, young people's behavioral disorders, chronic lifestyle-related diseases, functional diseases and medical expenses have become increasingly big issues, and these problems are strongly related to psycho-social factors. The establishment of the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine in Kagoshima University was authorized in 1995, 35 years after psychosomatic medicine was introduced there. This delay in the development of psychosomatic medicine was due not only to defects in the national medical system but also to the evasive attitudes toward mental problems on the part of society and medical professionals. In this paper, behavioral and medical approaches to the treatment of a patient with severe anorexia nervosa and ulcerative colitis are explained in detail. The patient recovered under the treatment described and has been well for 20 years. This suggests that holistic approaches involving patients' psychological, physical and social interests are essential in the practice of medicine. I believe that the usefulness of psychosomatic medicine will be more and more evident in the 21^<st> century. It cannot be stated strongly enough that the interdependence of body and mind should be included in the curriculums of both general education and medical education.

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Psychosomatic medicine in the Tohoku district began with the lecture on somatization of psychiatric disease by Prof. S. Marui of Tohoku University Medical School in 1916. The establishment of the study group was realized by Prof. K. Kushima, Prof. F. Matsunaga, Prof. S. Yamagata and Prof. J. Suzuki after 1969 when the first local meeting of the study was started by Prof. J. Suzuki. The meeting has been held 64 times up to today. It is held at 6 medical schools in the Tohoku district by turns two times a year. In this paper, the history of the local and all other meetings of Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine will be mentioned including interesting episodes.

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The history of the department of Psychosomatic Internal Medicine, Kansai Medical University is the author's history as a doctor. In addition, the history of the Kinki branch office of the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine is closely related to the course of history of our department. I referred to the history of the Japanese Psychosomatic Medicine by speaking of the tripartite histories.

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Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the simple and easy program based on mindfulness or Zen meditation we developed on stress reduction for outpatients. Method: Eight voluntary outpatients who satisfied the initial screening criteria were recruited for this study. They underwent mindfulness training for one month, and answered a questionnaire measuring their mood right before and after each practice and other questionnaires measuring one's trait such as general health, cognitive skills, cognitive styles, the spiritual attitude in life at 6 stages, from baseline to 3 month follow-up (3 mFU). Results: This program had little immediate effect on reducing anxious and depressed mood state. As for effects on trait indices, the program improved negative belief on worry. As a mediator of this result, cognitive skills which mitigate a catastrophizing thought and Affect-related Automatic Thought improved. Also, patients who did appropriate and enough practices improved cognitive skills such as cognitive control and Affect-related Automatic Thought compared with patients with inadequate practice. Conclusion: Although the program has little immediate effect on improving negative mood, it has consistent effect on cultivating cognitive skills and style. The result suggests the MT might be compliment to the daily practice of psychotherapy.

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