Japan proposes raising age of consent from 13 to 16

Japan has proposed raising the age of consent from 13 to 16 as a part of an overhaul of sex crime legislation after a string of controversial rape acquittals.

The Japanese Justice Ministry’s proposal also aims to criminalize the grooming of minors and broaden the definition of rape, as well as increasing the statute of limitations for reporting sexual assault from 10 to 15 years.

However, an exception will still be in place for intercourse between people who are at least 13 years old and have an age gap of less than five years.

In order to get a conviction, the current law for rape victims in Japan requires them to prove that there was “violence and intimidation” during the incident and that it was “impossible to resist.”

The change “isn’t meant to make it easier or harder” for victims to win — but is supposed to make verdicts “more consistent,” Justice Ministry Official Yusuke Asanuma said, according to the BBC.

While the wording of this law has not been changed, the panel added other factors that will be included in the definition such as intoxication, drugging, being caught off guard and psychological control.

The legislation overhaul comes after public outcry following the 2019 acquittals, which included one case where a man was freed after raping his teenage daughter — though he was later sentenced to prison after prosecutors appealed.

Another man was found not guilty after raping a woman who was passed out and drunk, claiming he “misunderstood” her consent. 

The law change can be passed as early as this summer.

Japan currently has the lowest age of consent in developed countries and in G7 countries.

The age of consent is 14 in Germany and Italy, 15 in Greece and France, and 16 in the UK and many US states.