The reform of mental healthcare and welfare in Japan up to the present is based on mainly two visions. One vision is originated from the "Vision for Reforming Mental Healthcare and Welfare" (hereinafter referred to as "Reform Vision"). The Reform Vision made public in 2004 revealed policy change in this area, showing basic measures to shift this area "from hospitalization-based to community-based." The Reform Vision focuses on the aspect of promoting hospital discharge, as reflected in the phrase, "About 70,000 patients who can be discharged from hospital will be discharged in 10 years from now on, if the conditions for accepting these patients are met." This vision was concretely realized in the report of the "Study Meeting on How the Future of Mental Healthcare and Welfare should be" (hereinafter referred to as the "Way Study Meeting"). The other vision is the mental healthcare reform in terms of the Medical Care Act and the Medical Care Plan. The Medical Care Act is the law that stipulates the basis of medical care services. The Medical Care Plan is formulated based on the Medical Care Act. In the 6th Medical Care Plan enacted in 2013, mental illness was newly designated as one of the five diseases. This led to the establishment of a medical care coordination system under the Medical Care Plan. In addition, the "Guidelines for ensuring the provision of high-quality and appropriate medical care for persons with mental disorders" was announced in a public notice issued by the MHLW Minister, based on the revised "Act on Mental Health and Welfare for the Mentally Disabled" enacted in the same year. These two visions were combined to create the "Report of Way Study Meeting." In this report, the establishment of comprehensive community care system with a scope to include people with mental disorders (hereinafter referred to as the "System") was proposed. The report published in 2021 from the "Study meeting on the establishment of a comprehensive community care system with a scope to include people with mental disorders" (hereinafter referred to as the "Study Meeting") showed the basic principle that "Everyone can live in their own way with a sense of security, regardless of the presence or severity of mental illness." This aims at the realization of community inclusive society. In other words, it stipulates how the future of the community mental health and welfare services should be.
 Author's abstract