Twenty-four percent of Japanese have suffered mental illnesses such as depression, alcohol abuse or addiction, but only 30 percent of them consulted a doctor.

These alarming mental health statistics were revealed in a recent large-scale nationwide investigation that a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry research team carried out, led by Norito Kawakami, a University of Tokyo professor.

As part of an international research project initiated by the World Health Organization, the team conducted a survey and received responses from about 4,100 people aged 20 and older in 11 cities and towns in six prefectures from 2002 to 2006. In all, about 85,000 people in 17 countries were surveyed in the WHO project.