Japan Raises Age of Consent From 13 to 16

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • Japanese lawmakers passed key reforms to sex crime legislation on Friday and raised the country's age of consent from 13 to 16 years old.1
  • The age of consent in Japan — the lowest among G7 countries — had been unchanged since 1907, with children aged 13 and above deemed capable of consent. The new age of consent matches that of Britain and is higher than France's (15), Germany's (14), and China's (14).2
  • In addition, the definition of rape was broadened to "non-consensual sexual intercourse" from "forced sexual intercourse."3
  • The law also made photo voyeurism — secretly taking, distributing, and possessing sexually explicit photos without consent — and online grooming of children illegal.4
  • Under the new legislation, people who use intimidation, seduction, or money to force children under 16 to have sexual encounters will be imprisoned for a year or fined ¥500K (about $3.5K).5
  • Following Friday's vote, Japan has now identified a range of sexual offenses that could be criminally punished — including sex with victims incapacitated due to the influence of alcohol or drugs.6

Sources: 1The Japan Times, 2CNA, 3Bloomberg, 4Washington Post, 5The Telegraph, and 6BBC News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by BBC News. The much-needed, long-overdue overhaul of Japan's laws on sex crimes — especially redefining rape and raising the age of sexual consent to 16 — is a big step forward. The reforms send a message to the country's male-dominated society that sexual violence against children is unacceptable. Also, the legislation will likely spur discussions around century-old ideas of sex and sexual consent.
  • Narrative B, as provided by UnHerd. While the changes are welcomed, ensuring greater protection of children in Japan needs more than enacted reforms. Because of stigma and shame, sexual assault victims are often reluctant to come forward, and those who do gather the courage often receive threats and nasty comments. More efforts — such as ending the culture of impunity — are required for the laws to be embedded in society.