The situation surrounding children’s mental health in Japan has become extremely serious in recent years. For example, the number of suicides among elementary, middle school, and high school students has remained near record highs since such statistics were first collected. Given this context, there has been growing public interest in children’s mental health care and recognition of the importance of preventive approaches that help children learn to respond appropriately to stress and other challenges. Research has also shown that when attempting to elevate children’s lifelong wellbeing and adaptability to the environment over the long-term, preventive approaches are more effective than symptomatic support provided after problems become serious.

Against this backdrop, the Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) Child Health Project launched a three-year initiative with support from the Nippon Foundation to develop a stress management program that is based on the cognitive-behavioral approach and that includes content for many age groups, from before pre-school to high school. In addition to conducting the program, evaluating its effectiveness, and transmitting knowledge accumulated through activities like expert meetings and interviews with related parties in the form of policy proposals, the Child Health Project also used the results of these efforts to give back to society with practical support tools in the form of e-learning materials and pamphlets for families.

The upcoming 138th HGPI Seminar will feature Prof. Shunsuke Koseki, who serves as Associate Professor at the J. F. Oberlin University College of Arts and Sciences. From designing the stress management program to analyzing the effectiveness of the program, Prof. Koseki made extensive contributions to this initiative over the past three years. As a leading researcher in stress management for children in Japan, Prof. Koseki serves in a number of roles including Chair, Education and Special Support Board, Japanese Society of Certified Public Psychologist; Executive Director, Japan Society of Stress Management; and Board Member, Japanese Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. In addition to sharing details on current circumstances and issues for children’s mental health, while drawing on his wealth of experience in research activities and sharing specific examples of practical initiatives, Prof. Koseki will discuss the importance of having people acquire stress management skills not only as adults, but from childhood as well.

[Event Overview]

• Speaker:
  Prof. Shunsuke Koseki (Associate Professor, School of Liberal Arts, J.F. Oberlin University)
• Date & Time:Thursday, August 28, 2025, 17:00-18:15 JST
• Format: Online (Zoom webinar)
• Language: Japanese
• Participation Fee: Free
• Capacity: 1,000 participants

■Profile:

Shunsuke Koseki (Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences, J. F. Oberlin University)
Professor Shunsuke Koseki was born in Yamagata Prefecture. He earned a Ph.D. in School Education from the Joint Graduate School in Science of School Education at the Hyogo University of Teacher Education in 2009. After serving as Research Fellow at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), and Assistant Professor and Lecturer at Aichi University of Education, he joined J. F. Oberlin University as a Lecturer in 2014 and assumed his current position in 2019. He is a Certified Public Psychologist, a Japan Society of Stress Management Stress Management Practitioner®, and a certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Supervisor®. His other roles include Chair, Education and Special Support Board, Japanese Society of Certified Public Psychologist; Executive Director, Japan Society of Stress Management; and Board Member, Japanese Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. His published works include Stress Management Education Programs that Seamlessly Connect Elementary, Middle, and High School (Kanekoshobo; as co-author), A Guidance Program on Special-Needs Support for High School Students Based on the Perspective of Independent Activities (Kanekoshobo; as co-editor), and Stress Management Techniques for Parents and Children for Managing Life at Preschool (Chuohoki Publishing CO., Ltd.; as editor).