What is the lowest legal age of consent in Japan?

Hiranao Honda, 56, is reported to have said that he found it strange that he could be arrested if he had sex with a 14-year-old even if there was consent, assuming the age ends up rising. He apologized for the remarks before resigning from the party Tuesday and as a lawmaker Wednesday, and his political future is uncertain even as the debate over whether to raise the minimum age of consent continues.

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What part of Japan has an age of consent of 13?
Is 14 years old legal in Japan?
What is the illegal age in Japan?

Why has the age of consent been in the spotlight?

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diet, Lower House, gaffes, cdp, sex crimes, Hiranao Honda

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Photo: PakutasonationalJapanese government proposes raising age of consent from current 13 to 16

Oct. 26, 2022 03:14 pm JST Oct. 26, 2022 | 04:15 pm JST
26 Comments

By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24TOKYO

On Monday, Japan’s Ministry of Justice publicly presented a draft to amend the country’s penal code and raise the age of consent. Currently, the age of consent in Japan is 13, but the proposed revision would raise it by three years, to 16.

As the primary purpose of the amendment is to strengthen protections for children against being sexually exploited by adults, as opposed to designating mutually willing teenagers having sex with each other as outlaws, the draft includes a provision that that sexual activity with a person older than 13 but younger than 16 is punishable only if the older party is over five years older, such as, for instance, a 20-year-old being sexually involved with a 15-year-old.

While Japan’s age of consent being 13 is a fact that gets bandied about with somewhat concerning frequency in online discussions about the country, in practice a number of local laws already criminalize adults entering into sexual relations with such young minors. Making such conduct against national law gives prosecutors one more charge to levy at violators, though, and the draft’s proposed revisions would also introduce a number of other changes meant to provide better protection against sexual assault, as well as support for victims. In light of how feelings of shame and embarrassment can make it difficult for victims to quickly come forward, the draft would extend the statute of limitations in which to file charges by an additional five years. In the case of victims for whom the crime happened while they were still a minor, the number of years between when the incident took place and the victim turned 18 (the age of legal adulthood in Japan) would be added to the statute of limitations as well.

The draft would also broaden the definition of what constitutes a sex crime. Currently, the law requires violence or intimidation on the part of the offender, as well as for the situation being physically and/or psychologically difficult for the victim to resist, but the proposed revisions would add other conditions such as forced alcoholic intoxication as sufficient for the perpetrator’s actions to be considered sexual assault.

Source: Mainichi Shimbun via Livedoor News

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26 Comments
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gogogoOct. 26, 2022 04:25 pm JST

No brainer there, should have been done a long time ago.

30 ( +30 / -0 )

Jonathan PrinOct. 26, 2022 04:26 pm JST

If sex is voluntary, it is never a question of age. It is a question of morale.

Child exploitation, whatever age including 17, is exploitation.

Just make law sentences harsher the younger the child is.

Totally silly to imagine that age difference has to do something with sex when both participants are physically mature.

Anyway, it is a morale question. Some countries accept it from very young and others say it is forbidden until you are old and married.

Either you have hurt and exploited and there is need to punish, if not then why care.

-14 ( +5 / -19 )

AramaTaihenNoYouDidntOct. 26, 2022 04:27 pm JST

Wish I could say "Well done" yet who are they kidding. For a commoner, he or she will receive the full extend of the punisherable law, but for a prominent figure - it will most likely goes concealed and unnoticed.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

finally richOct. 26, 2022 04:47 pm JST

Literally hundreds of thousands of lonely horny japanese women out there, from college students to absolutely gorgeous women all the way to their 50s, I still have a hard time trying to understand why some people still play with fire.

14 ( +19 / -5 )

OliveOct. 26, 2022 05:42 pm JST

Good policy. Nice to see the government acting in the best interests of its people

6 ( +6 / -0 )

wallaceOct. 26, 2022 05:42 pm JST

A National law needs to replace the prefecture ones.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

GoodOct. 26, 2022 05:45 pm JST

It's a good idea

6 ( +6 / -0 )

ChabbawangaOct. 26, 2022 05:52 pm JST

Just pass it with no further discussion. Anyone against rhe change can go to jail.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

GazmanOct. 26, 2022 05:59 pm JST

It’s about time, it’s not rocket science is it!

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Elvis is hereOct. 26, 2022 05:59 pm JST

Literally hundreds of thousands of lonely horny japanese women out there, from college students to absolutely gorgeous women all the way to their 50s, I still have a hard time trying to understand why some people still play with fire.

That is the funniest post I have ever read. ROFLMAO

(//∇//)\

3 ( +6 / -3 )

CrickyOct. 26, 2022 06:50 pm JST

13 to 16? Not sure that’s an improvement, in the right direction. Like a 5yo to an 8yo old. It’s pedophile territory 13 to 16. But that’s what law makers want so that’s what we get. Pedophle law makers.

-10 ( +2 / -12 )

MarkOct. 26, 2022 06:51 pm JST

18 is the right number, by then kids are old and mature enough to know and comprehend the situation. 13 is a crime, 16 the hormones are out of control, 18 we start to think twice and reconsider.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

u_s__reamerOct. 26, 2022 07:04 pm JST

Under the proposed change in the law we'll have to read Shakespeare anew since thirteen-year-old Juliet will now become jailbait for Romeo.

I still have a hard time trying to understand why some people still play with fire.

With all those hundreds of thousands of lonely horny japanese women out there, from college students to absolutely gorgeous women all the way to their 50s, it's more a question of "light my fire".

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

YubaruOct. 26, 2022 07:11 pm JST

It is a question of morale.

Believe me, those old guys that are screwing around with under-age girls are certainly getting their morale up!

0 ( +4 / -4 )

JeremiahOct. 26, 2022 07:44 pm JST

This proposal is a good start. Further protections need to be put in place to protect the young, however.

Japan needs to move to a healthier society overall in which intercourse is seen as a marital relation rather than a mere animalistic scratch of an itch.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

TokyoJoeOct. 26, 2022 07:56 pm JST

13 to 16? Not sure that’s an improvement, in the right direction. Like a 5yo to an 8yo old. It’s pedophile territory 13 to 16. But that’s what law makers want so that’s what we get. Pedophle law makers.

Pedophilia is pre pubescent. Lol, 13-16, you must have been a late bloomer crickey?.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

purple_depressed_baconOct. 26, 2022 09:44 pm JST

What's there to propose? Change the damn law already. Having the age of consent being thirteen is utterly disturbing and unhinged.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

smithinjapanOct. 26, 2022 09:57 pm JST

Uh-oh! What are all the magazines who dress little children in bikinis and have them bend over for the camera going to do? Probably won't be considered any kind of sexual exploitation of children and will continue to be in everyone's visual range near the doors to the stores.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

proxyOct. 27, 2022 02:36 am JST

Great move to extend the statute of limitations by 5 years. Not uncommon for a woman to take years and years to come to terms with being assaulted and approach the police.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

YrralOct. 27, 2022 06:52 am JST

No man should be involved,with any female,that is not 18 years old or older and emotional mature

0 ( +0 / -0 )

shogun36Oct. 27, 2022 10:07 am JST

uhhh........good?

so, where is the national sex offenders list now?

and how about actually enforcing some of these laws for once?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

commanteerOct. 27, 2022 10:22 am JST

What are all the magazines who dress little children in bikinis and have them bend over for the camera going to do? Probably won't be considered any kind of sexual exploitation of children and will continue to be in everyone's visual range near the doors to the stores.

Maybe you should avoid those kinds of stores, and stick to konbinis.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

JTCOct. 28, 2022 09:24 am JST

We are living in a time of Woke-ness, and Weirdness.

There is without doubt, that we should protect Children from Sexual Predators - though, between themselves... at an age of discovery, this seems more like something that needs to be dealt with between Families, than the Law.

I wonder, these days, has the Novel "Cider with Rosie" by Laurie Lee, bee banned ? In my day, it was a Compulsory reading.

I myself, recall from the age of 10, kids in my area playing a Game called "Kiss, Cuddle or Buck..." I can let you guess what the latter meant.

As for the usage of a Sex Offenders List, this is getting stupid. In a Bar, if you've been chatting to a person next to you, and then put your hand on a her leg and drunkenly say, I want to .... you, she can nowadays, take offense and accuse you of a sexual offense. (There's actually a recent case similar in context to that, within the UK - the guy fell asleep shortly afterwards having said it too).

I think, the "woke-brigade" has gone too far, and is starting to mess up Global Life, and is perhaps one reason why people may be starting to not wanting to get into relationships, marriages and having Kids.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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One such example is in Tokyo, where the law prohibits sexual activity, consensual or non-consensual, for persons under 18. In contrast, Minami-Tori-Shima Islands hold the age of consent to 13 years old.

Is 14 years old legal in Japan?

Individuals aged 12 or younger in Japan are not legally able to consent to sexual activity, and such activity may result in prosecution for statutory rape or the equivalent local law. Japan statutory rape law is violated when an individual has consensual sexual contact with a person under age 13.

What is the illegal age in Japan?

On April 1, 2022, Japan lowered the legal age of adulthood to 18 years old. Some two million people who are 18 and 19 years old came of age in Japan on that day. This follows revision of the Civil Code, which first set the legal age at 20-year-old in 1876.