The House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, enacted on Friday a bill to revise the Penal Code to toughen penalties for sex crimes.
The House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, enacted on Friday a bill to revise the Penal Code to toughen penalties for sex crimes.
The revision, which marks the first drastic review of sex crime-related provisions since the code was established in 1907, was approved by the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, last week.
In the revised law, the crime of rape is replaced with the crime of « forcible sex and similar acts, » in which not only women but also men can be recognized as victims.
