Justice Minister Shozaburo Nakamura said Tuesday that his ministry will submit a bill revising the Juvenile Law to lower the age at which criminal offenders can be punished, in response to a spate of serious youth crimes.
Under the current law, juveniles are defined as people under 20 years of age, and jurisdiction over cases in which offenses have been committed by juveniles is assigned to family courts. However, juveniles 16 years or older can be tried in criminal court.
During a Cabinet meeting in the morning, Chief Cabinet Minister Hiromu Nonaka asked all members to support the bill, Nakamura told reporters.