The ICD-10 is widely used in Japanese clinical and other mental health services settings. Since the publication of the Japanese translation, the most significant event was the renaming of the term schizophrenia in Japanese in 2002. In addition, the Japanese term equivalent to dementia was changed to a supposedly less stigmatizing term in 2006. The renamed versions are now widely accepted by both clinicians and patients and their families.

In addition to the renaming movement, what is notable as part of psychiatry in Japan is the clinical research projects that are being performed, including neuroimaging and molecular studies. Situations about suicide in Japan, which is one of the biggest problems in the mental health field with the number of victims exceeding 30,000 since 1998, are also discussed.

Concerning contributions to the ICD revision process, the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology (JSPN) organized the ICD committee under the Committee of International Affairs, and the committee has held a meeting every 4 months. In addition, the JSPN organized the ICD-11 committee which collaborates with the Japanese Society for Psychiatric Diagnosis, consisting of subgroups for F1 - F9 category and a comprehensive group. The ICD-11 committee is reviewing all proposals, and will submit particularly relevant opinions for the revision process of the ICD-10.

Finally, concerning use of the ICD-10 and DSM-IV in Asian countries, the survey showed that psychiatrists in China and Japan routinely use the ICD-10, while the DSM-IV was dominant in Korea and Taiwan.