an incident of great significance in the history of japanese mental health care was the knife attack of the then us ambassador to japan edwin reischauer by an individual with schizophrenia in this attack led to significant public alarm and contributed to further stigma towards mental illness fuelled by a mass media campaign on top of high existing levels of stigma directed towards mental disorders this incident also contributed to the revision of the mental hygiene law discussed previously in the mental health law was amended again with a particular focus on care in the community including the authorisation of the building of group homes in the community for individuals with mental disorders tatara and okamoto the community health care law introduced in and further supported the establishment of a communitybased mental health system