Jakarta –
Japan will raise the age limit for consent or the legal age for sexual intercourse from 13 to 16 years. The law reform was sparked by criticism that it failed to protect children from rape and other sexual offences.
reported The Japan Times, the legal age for sexual intercourse in Japan is one of the lowest in the world. The age of consent in Japan is currently one of the lowest among developed nations and has not changed since it was introduced in 1907.
Under current law, children who are at least 13 years old are considered capable of consent. This means that the sexual activity they engage in is not considered rape under the law. There have been calls to raise the age limit to better reflect reality as the sexual exploitation of minors is a growing concern.
The criminal law subcommittee of the Legislative Council, which advises the minister of justice, is also seeking to create more specific definitions of crimes of forced sexual intercourse and indecent assault to make it easier to build cases for such crimes and support related charges in court.
The Legislative Council is expected to approve these changes in mid-February. The government hopes to enact the revised Criminal Code during the ongoing parliamentary session, which is scheduled to last until June 21.
Many developed countries set the age of consent at 14 to 16 years.
Some of the things that this law highlights are sexual relations with children under 13 years old is illegal regardless of consent, while sexual relations with those aged 13 to 15 years will be punishable if the perpetrator is five years or older.
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(kna/vyp)
