June 17, 2023 
Japan has raised the age of sexual consent from 13 to 16 after it remained unchanged for more than a century and was among the world’s lowest.
The country’s parliament on Friday passed the revision of the laws amid calls for greater protection of children and women.
The revision was part of a revamping of laws related to sex crimes. Separately, Parliament passed a new law on Friday to increase awareness of LGBTQ+ issues which activists criticized for not guaranteeing equal rights for sexual minorities.
Reforms providing greater protection for victims of sexual crimes and stricter punishment of assailants have come slowly in a country where the legislative and judicial branches have long been dominated by men.
The changes enacted Friday make sexual intercourse with someone below age 16 considered rape. They specify eight scenarios of ‘consentless sex crimes,’ a new term for forced sexual intercourse, including being assaulted under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fear, or intimidation.
They also ban the filming, distribution and possession of sexually exploitative images taken without consent.
The statute of limitations for sex crimes was also extended by five years, to 10 years for consentless sexual intercourse. That crime is now subject to up to 15 years in prison, while ‘photo voyeurism’ can be punished by up to three years’ imprisonment.
The changes were sparked in part by a case in Nagoya in which a father who raped his 19-year-old daughter was acquitted by a court which ruled that while the daughter did not give her consent, she did not resist violently. The decision prompted nationwide protests.
Activists said the new LGBTQ+ law threatens them instead of promoting equality because of last-minute changes which apparently catered to opponents of transgender rights.
Japan is the only member of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations which does not have LGTBQ+ legal protections.
Diamond Celebrities 
In our age is enhanced communication, you’d think advanced wisdom would follow. Extremely slowly we move forward but I have to wonder where the medical profession are in this subject. When humans don’t finish growing until their mid twenties why is it pressured before?