Japan's parliament raised the age of sexual consent on Friday from 13 to 16, which has remained unchanged for over a century and redefines rape.
The decision to change what is considered one of the lowest ages of consent in the world comes amid calls for greater protection of children and women. The revision is part of an effort to revamp laws that are related to sex crimes.
Japan Raises Age of Consent to 16
The country's parliament passed a new law on Friday to increase awareness of LGBTQ+ issues. Activists have long argued that they do not guarantee equal rights for sexual minorities.
The changes that provide greater protection for victims of sexual crimes and the implementation of stricter punishment of assailants have come slowly in Japan. It is known as a country where the legislative and judicial branches have long been dominated by male officials, as per the Associated Press.
In 2017, the Asian nation revised its criminal code on sexual crimes for the first time in more than a century. The decision was prompted after a series of acquittals in cases of sexual abuse and increasing instances of sexual images taken of girls and women without their consent caused public outrage.
The changes that the Japanese parliament enacted on Friday make sexual intercourse with someone younger than 16 years considered rape. The new changes specify eight scenarios of "consentless sex crimes." It is a new term used for forced sexual intercourse, which includes being assaulted under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fear, or intimidation.
Furthermore, Japanese officials have also worked to ban the filming, distribution, and possession of sexually exploitative images taken without consent. Authorities also extended the statutes of limitations for sex crimes by five years to 10 years for consentless sexual intercourse.
Campaigners immediately welcomed the changes, and the Tokyo-based group, Human Rights Now, has called them a massive step forward for the Asian country. Particularly, raising the age of consent will "send a message to society that sexual violence by adults against children is unacceptable," the group said in a statement, according to Yahoo News.
Addressing Sexual Crimes
Raising the age of consent comes as, in practice, many of the country's regional ordinances have banned "lewd" acts with minors, which many saw as effectively raising the age of consent to 18 years.
Under the newly passed law, teenage couples who are no more than five years apart will be exempted from prosecution if they are both over the age of 13 years. Prosecutors previously had to prove that victims were incapacitated due to violence and intimidation to prove a rape charge.
Critics have long argued that victims were blamed for not resisting their assailants enough under the previous law. The Friday bill also lists examples where rape prosecutions can be made, such as being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, being frightened, and perpetrators taking advantage of their social status.
Following the acquittal of sexual crimes defendants in 2019, the Flower Demo movement was started. It had groups of sexual violence victims and their supporters gathering once a month to demand changes to the country's sex crime laws, said DW News.
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