Japan modified its definition of rape and raised the age of consent to 16, from 13, on Friday, bringing the nation’s intercourse crimes legal guidelines nearer consistent with these within the United States and Europe.

The new legislation — handed unanimously by the Upper House of Parliament and due to this fact now absolutely adopted — defines rape as “nonconsensual sexual intercourse” and removes a earlier requirement that the crime embody bodily power. Until now, Japan’s legal guidelines on sexual assault didn’t point out consent, reflecting skepticism that anybody could possibly be pressured into intercourse with out violence.

Japan beforehand had one of many lowest ages of consent amongst rich nations, leaving kids weak to sexual abuse by adults. Still, underneath the brand new legislation, for victims between the ages of 13 and 15, intercourse could be thought-about against the law provided that the companion is 5 or extra years older than the kid. The new legislation, which had been accredited by the House of Representatives in May, is the primary time Japan has modified its age of consent in additional than 100 years.

The new legislation outlines varied circumstances underneath which an individual may be afraid to say no to intercourse, even when indirectly threatened with violence. Those conditions embody when a sufferer has consumed alcohol or medication or when an offender “frightens or startles” them.

Laws within the United States and a few European nations have already taken into consideration that an individual might not be capable to present consent due to sickness or intoxication, or that an offender might exploit a state of affairs of authority.

Until now, due to the excessive bar for a sexual assault to be formally labeled as rape in Japan, few victims have introduced prison fees. When Shiori Ito, a journalist, alleged {that a} distinguished tv journalist had raped her when she was unconscious and unable to present consent, prosecutors declined to file fees. Ms. Ito later won damages in a civil case in opposition to Noriyuki Yamaguchi, a former Washington bureau chief of the Tokyo Broadcasting System, when a choose accepted her account of the assault.

Activists for victims of sexual assault had lengthy argued that Japan’s rape legal guidelines had been antiquated due to the absence of any point out of consent and the low age of consent.

At a news convention after the invoice’s passage on Friday, Kazuko Ito, a lawyer who has represented sexual assault victims, stated it was a “great step forward.”

“It is highly significant that the victims who have been excluded from justice are now within the scope of legal remedies and punishments,” Ms. Ito stated.

The new legislation additionally addresses acts of groping or incidents the place adults “psychologically control” kids on social networking websites. It additionally prolonged the statute of limitations for submitting rape fees to fifteen years, from 10.

Hikari Hida contributed reporting.