Japan raised the age of consent from 13 years, one of the lowest in the world, to 16 years with the parliamentary approval this friday of a series of reforms of the legislation of sex crimes.
Since 1907 Japan had established in 13 years the age from which a child is legally considered empowered to consent to one intercourse.
With the change, it is in line with countries such as the United Kingdom or Spain, also in 16 years, and above others such as France (15 years) or Germany and China (14 years).
Even so, the reform establishes an exception for teenage couples with a maximum age difference of five yearswho will not be prosecuted if both members are over 13 years of age.
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The last time Japan revised its law of sex crimes it was in 2017. It was the first modification of that text in more than a century, but many activists considered that “it fell short”.
The new reform also clarifies the requirements for a rape convictionafter a series of controversial acquittals in 2019 sparked nationwide protests.
Under the old law, the prosecution had to show that the victims were incapacitated due to violence or intimidation.
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For critics, this requirement effectively blamed the victims for not having resisted enough.
The new law approved this Friday lists a series of examples that may constitute a crime of rape, such as the fact that the victim is under the influence of drugs or alcoholThat this scared or that the author takes advantage of their social status.
Source: Ambito
