The Impact of Some Socio-Cultural Factors and of Covid-19 on Eating Disorders in Today's Japan. Art Therapies as a Possible Co-Solution

Starting from an examination of some Japanese government measures, and of socio-cultural factors, this research will analyse how such elements put pressure on the national population about precise physical canons considered "healthy", especially with regard to body weight. Emphasis will be placed on the risk that these elements continue to unintentionally favour a growing range of eating disorders, one above all anorexia nervosa (restricting type). Added to this is the fact that since the beginning of 2020, the Covid 19 pandemic and its consequences have put a strain on the psychological strength of individuals. In some cases, this has led them into stress, anxiety, and even psychiatric disorders, which drastically increased in Japan, mostly developing as eating disorders especially among young people (Harada et al. 2020). In many other countries, however, numerous recent studies on the effectiveness of art therapies for people with eating disorders have been gaining ground. After analysing some of these studies at a theoretical and practical level, the aim of this contribution is to identify in them sources of inspiration also for today's Japan, whose culture has always been strongly characterised by the protagonism of images and visual art.