The rate of different types of maltreatment of children younger than the age of 16 by parents was investigated among a sample of 119 Japanese nonconsulting adolescents. Emotional neglect, threat, putting to shame, slapping punching with a fist, hitting with an implement, and burning by the father or the mother were reported to have occurred at least several times a year by 21.0%, 26.1%, 14.3%, 40.3% 25.2%, 14.3%, and 0.8% of the participants, respectively. These figures were much higher than previous estimates from medical and social agency reports in Japan. Some associations were found between specific categories of child maltreatment and the lifetime prevalence of different types of DSM-III-R psychopathology. Among male adolescents, Generalized Anxiety Disorder was associated with being put to shame, punched, or hit with an implement by the mother, while single-episode Major Depression was associated only with being slapped by the mother. These figures suggest that childhood maltreatment has effects on psychopathology among adolescents, particularly emotional maltreatment associated with chronic/recurrent Major Depression. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.