A justice ministry panel has proposed raising the age of consent from 13 – the lowest among all G7 countries – as part of a series of reforms to the penal code that will also make voyeurism a criminal offence and clarify the requirements for rape prosecutions. The justice ministry panel did not remove the wording in its recommendation, but clarified that the definition also covers intoxication, drugging, catching victims “off-guard” and the use of psychological control. Instead, Japan should “redefine the crime of rape as all non-consensual sexual intercourse”, the group said in a statement. The age of consent is 16 in Britain and South Korea, 15 in France, and 14 in Germany and China. Japan’s age of consent has remained unchanged since 1907.

Source: The Guardian February 23, 2023 05:47 UTC