Introduction The topic of stress is the subject of not only widespread scientific research but of lay discussion, speculation, and conjecture. This paper will attempt to discuss the topic and to highlight cross-cultural definitions and management practices between the west and the Japanese setup. The paper explains stress, and its effects on health and in terms of clinical disease and on family life if it is not managed . What is Stress? An attempt of describing stress as the effects of negative effects on a person well being may be misleading; this is because not all negative events, despite their magnitude, have a negative effect on the well being of a person; and they do not always trigger psychological distress to the person (Viner, 1999). Psychological distress occurs only if the person cannot cope with the demands arising from a particular event or situation. Consequently, an event with a huge magnitude, for instance, aerial bombing of a city (for example during the Second World War), may not have the widespread effect on the psychology of the people as expected [Brown & Tirril, 1989]. Therefore, the occurrence of psychological distress is influenced by various factors and cannot entirely be attributed to the triggering event. We can therefore define stress as the lack of capacity of a person to respond effectively to a real or perceived event (Viner, 1999). The occurrence of stress is controlled by how the person views the events that trigger the distress; firstly, different people will view the severity of the threat differently, consequently, they may be exposed to the same environment with the effects thereafter being more severe in one person and non-existent in the other (Brown & Tirril, 1989). Therefore, the issue of vulnerability is always present as not all subjects view the event in the same light; for example, a devastating accident, like a fire happening in the workplace can have different effects on the survivors of such an event; the survivors who have to work in a similar environment to earn a living will be more vulnerable to the stress that those who have the choice of moving to another industry (Brown & Tirril, 1989; Viner, 1999). The social structure that one is living in is very important in determining the effects of a possibly stressful event on the person’s psychology; in an environment where someone feels supported, appreciated, and understood; chances are they are less vulnerable to a triggering event than a person who has no support. The family structure in particular is very important. The response of the body The body is affected extensively failing to cope with a triggering event; various systems in the body respond either individually or in conjunction with other systems to produce the signs and effects of stress (Emeran et al., 2001). The neuroendocrine system is of particular importance since it is among the first to respond and influence other systems; the hypophyseal portal system receives two factors, the corticotropin-releasing hormone and arginine-vasopressin from neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei in the brain that respond to sensory stimuli directed from the sensory cortex of the central nervous system. The pituitary then releases the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) into the bloodstream; the main target of ACTH is the cortex of the adrenal gland which