A demographic profile of Japan, including the infant mortality rate, is followed by a brief case study of childhood neglect, youthful marriage and divorce, and child abandonment. A history of trends in child abuse and the response to it in Japan is followed by an overview of the nature and prevalence of the following types of abuse and neglect: physical abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, infanticide and "coin-operated locker babies," shaken infant syndrome, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, medical neglect and newly established religious organizations, and emotional abuse and "Ijime" persecution (persecution of school-age children by other children). Other sections of the chapter discuss investigative procedures, the protection of victims, treatment issues, and Japanese laws that bear upon various types of abuse and neglect. Regarding prevention, the authors note that there are no effective systematic or universal prevention measures applied in Japan that are known to reduce the incidence of child abuse. They further advise that the problem of child abuse and neglect is just being recognized in Japan. Currently, the number of reported cases of abuse is relatively small when compared with other developed countries. Japanese citizens believe that child abuse is rare in Japan and more common in other societies. Consequently, child abuse legislation is a low government priority. More public and professional education is needed to increase concern for this significant cause of child morbidity and mortality. 37 references