Meditation is moving beyond a personal hobby and into public institutions. In Japan, mindfulness centered on yoga and meditation is gaining ground in correctional education at juvenile training schools and prisons. In Thailand, a national university and a Buddhist university have joined forces to study mindfulness through neuroscience. One is a frontline setting focused on returning people to society; the other, a research setting translating meditation into the language of science.
At a juvenile training school, mindfulness follows the evening news
A guide to Okinawa Juvenile Training School published by Japan’s Ministry of Justice lays out the daily schedule in chronological order. Dinner is followed by journaling, independent study and reading, then the news. The next slot is mindfulness, followed by free time and bedtime. In other words, the schedule sets aside time to sit quietly and settle the mind before the day ends.
Mindfulness also appears in the same guide’s list of life-skills instruction. It is listed alongside violence prevention, family relationships, assertiveness training, social skills training (SST) and activities to help young people understand themselves. This suggests meditation is treated not as a special event but as one part of education aimed at rebuilding daily life.
Prison terms merged into one, shifting the focus from punishment to rehabilitation
The trend is not confined to juvenile training schools. On Oct. 16, Japanese media reported that efforts to incorporate mindfulness—intended to calm the mind—into correctional education at juvenile training schools and prisons are expanding, with hopes it could help prevent reoffending. An earlier report, published Oct. 1, featured Takuro Tanimoto, an associate professor at Bukkyo University, teaching mindfulness to inmates in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture.
The backdrop is a change in Japan’s sentencing system. On June 1, 2025, Japan’s revised Penal Code took effect, merging imprisonment with work and imprisonment without work into a single term of imprisonment. The revised law allows work or guidance deemed necessary to improve and rehabilitate inmates. Whereas the former sentence of imprisonment with work required inmates to perform assigned labor, the new approach puts greater emphasis on selecting guidance programs suited to each person. That has created more room for education that addresses the mind.
Researchers urge caution: No program yet tailored to young offenders
Researchers watching the work on the ground take a measured view. A Japan Society for the Promotion of Science grant project led by Tanimoto as principal investigator, running from 2022 to 2026, notes that Japan is promoting mindfulness in correctional facilities such as juvenile training schools to reduce repeat offending, but that the programs currently used are mostly designed for the general youth and adult populations. No specialized program tailored to young offenders has yet been developed.
The project overview also includes a warning: If programs emphasize self-acceptance while giving little attention to consideration for others, they may worsen problems such as depression or aggression rather than ease them. A 2024 report said the team was exploring ways to run programs while respecting security rules at juvenile training schools. Verifying their effectiveness in juvenile training schools and other correctional facilities was scheduled for the 2025 fiscal year.
High hopes that mindfulness will reduce reoffending do not mean its effectiveness has been established. Japan’s experience shows that bringing meditation into institutions and verifying which methods work for whom are separate tasks.
Thai national and Buddhist universities to study mindfulness through neuroscience
In Thailand, universities have taken action. Kasetsart University and Mahamakut Buddhist University signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Oct. 19 for academic cooperation on mindfulness, meditation and neuroscience to support lifelong well-being. Kasetsart University International College posted the news on its official website on Oct. 20.
The agreement was signed by Mahamakut Buddhist University President Associate Professor Phra Brahma Wachirametaphon and Kasetsart University President Assistant Professor Kongsak Thientham. Somdet Phra Maha Wirawong, vice chairman of the Mahamakut Buddhist University Council, presided over the ceremony and joined as a witness. Official photos show the signing ceremony inside a hall adorned with gold decorations. Monks and professors seated in a row capture the nature of the agreement.
The notable point is that a university rooted in Buddhist practice and a national university devoted to scientific research sat down at the same table. Specific plans for joint research topics, courses or timelines have not yet been announced, however. Whether the agreement leads to actual research and programs remains to be seen.
A question for Korea’s meditation community: Where is meditation being documented?
The developments in the two countries differ, but point in the same direction. Meditation is moving beyond temples and retreat centers, appearing on the schedules of correctional facilities and in university research agreements. It is also worth noting that Japan’s correctional programs combine seated meditation with physical practices such as yoga. For people who find it difficult to sit still, movement can be a doorway into meditation.
Questions remain for Korea’s meditation community, too: What role does meditation play in schools, hospitals, correctional and welfare settings, and who establishes and evaluates that role—and by what standards? Just as the Japanese researcher cautioned against simply transferring programs designed for the general population, tailored programs must go hand in hand with ongoing evaluation if meditation is to earn trust within institutions. With that evidence in hand, K-meditation can also present Korea’s contemplative traditions to the world with greater credibility.
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