[Private facilities for the mentally disturbed in the Tohoku region, Japan].

Purpose: The modernization of mental health services in Japan began in 1868 during the Meiji Restoration (restoration of imperial government from Shogun era). However, mental institutions in Japan were inadequate until the end of World War II in 1945. The Tohoku region, comprised of 6 prefectures located in northeastern Japan, experienced a delay in modernization, struggled economically, and also showed a delay in the development of mental institutions.