Japan raised the age of consensual sex from 13 to 16

Tags: International News

In a welcome move, Japan's parliament on June 16 raised the age of voluntary sexual intercourse from 13 to 16.

An overview of the news

• Provisions have also been made under the new law to amend the old law related to sexual offenses and to raise awareness about the issues of same-sex relationships.

• The move comes after a wait of over a century since it was last changed in 1907.

• Japan revised its criminal law on sexual offenses in 2017 for the first time in 110 years.

• The historic move sets the stage for rape trial and criminalises voyeurism.

• Under the newly implemented changes, having sex with a person below the age of 16 years is considered rape.

• Those who threaten, entice or use money to get children under 16 to meet for sexual purposes face up to one year in prison or a fine of 500,000 yen ($3,500).

• Secretly filming private body parts, underwear or obscene acts without reasonable cause shall be punishable by imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to three million yen.

Age of consent in different countries

• In India the age of consent is 18, while in Britain it is 16, in Germany and China it is 14. 

About Japan

• It is also called Nihon or Nippon and is an archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean in East Asia.

• It is made up of four main islands Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu and Honshu is the largest island of Japan.

• Its highest mountain is Mount Fuji.

• It is the third largest economy in the world after the United States and China.

• Capital - Tokyo

• Currency - Yen

• Prime Minister - Fumio Kishida