Consent in Japan is poised to change from 13 to 16, due to criticism that existing laws do not protect children from sexual offences. There will be a justice ministry proposal submitted to parliament soon to be under review. People are also calling to review the criminalisation of voyeurism, grooming minors and expanding the definition of rape.
Japan currently has the lowest age of consent in the G7 group and in developed countries. The G7 group is a group of industrialised democracies that include France, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. They aim to influence and tackle worldwide issues, with a focus on global crises.
Consent in Japan has been at age 13 since 1907. The laws have received both attention and criticism following several rape acquittals in 2019 that caused a public uproar. A case that sparked anguish was a case involving a man accused of raping his teenage daughter. The Nagoya district court stated that there was no defensive proof that the girl was unable to resist, although it was apparent that she didn’t give consent. A higher court sentenced the man to 10 years in prison after further investigation. Local ordinances do prohibit ‘lewd’ acts, which do include intercourse with those under 18. These penalties are much lighter than a rape charge which is a minimum sentence of 5 years.
In a statement Human Rights Now, an international human rights organisation based in Tokyo, Japan, saw this as a step forward, although they did note that it “still fails to meet international rape legislation standards” and that the government needs to “redefine the crime of rape as all non-consensual sexual intercourse”.
The recommendations have been submitted to the justice minister, Ken Saito. Although, the Japanese government will consider changes no earlier than this summer.