Japan’s parliament on Friday raised the age of sexual consent from 13 to 16 following unanimous support in the upper house, amid calls for greater protections for children and women. Japan’s age of consent for sex was one of the lowest in the world. The age of consent for sex varies from country to country. India has fixed the age of consent at 18, while it is 16 in the UK and 14 in Germany and China.
The change was made as part of a reform of sexual offense laws. Separately, on Friday, parliament approved a new law to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues. Activists criticized the law for failing to ensure equal rights for sexual minorities.
Japan in 2017 Revised Criminal Code on Sexual Offenses
Japan revised its criminal code on sexual offenses in 2017 for the first time in 110 years. A series of acquittals in sexual assault cases and rising cases of sexual images of girls and women without their consent have sparked public outrage, prompting new amendments.
The amendments made on Friday classify sexual contact with a person below the age of 16 years as rape. They list eight examples of “non-consensual sex crimes,” a new term for forced sex, which include being assaulted while intoxicated or intoxicated, or subject to fear or intimidation.
They also prohibit the filming, distribution and possession of sexually exploitative images taken without consent. The statute of limitations for sexual offenses for sexual intercourse without consent was also extended by five years to 10 years. That offense is now punishable by up to 15 years in prison, while “photo voyeurism” is punishable by up to three years in prison.
The turnaround began with a case in Nagoya in which a father who raped his 19-year-old daughter was acquitted by a court, which ruled that the daughter did not violently protest when she did not give her consent. The decision inspired nationwide protests.
What is the age of consent in other countries around the world?
Worldwide the age of consent ranges from 11 to 21, but the most common age is between 14–16. Nigeria (11) has the lowest legal consent age, followed by Angola (12) and the Philippines. The legal age of consent is 13 in three countries, Burkina Faso, Comoros and Niger. Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador and Bolivia are among the South American countries where the legal age of consent is 14.
Germany, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Austria, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia and Montenegro are among the European countries whose age of consent is 14. The legal age of consent is also 14 in Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Mauritius, Malawi and Chad.
France, Poland, Romania, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Greece, Denmark, Iceland, Slovenia, as well as North Korea, Cambodia, Costa Rica and Uruguay have a slightly higher age of consent, which is 15.
In many countries around the world, the age of consent is 16, similar to the UK, including most US states, Canada, Russia, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The age of consent is 16 in Spain, Ukraine, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, and Norway, which are all located in Europe.
The legal age of consent is 16 in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Israel, Jordan, Cuba and Jamaica. The legal age of consent in Mexico, Ireland and Cyprus is 17, while in India, Vietnam, Turkey, Uganda, Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt the age of consent is 18. In Bahrain, Nepal and South Korea, the age of legal consent is 20 years, while in Nepal it is 21 years.
(with AP inputs)