A group of lawmakers is stepping beyond party lines to submit a bill to the House of Councilors that will toughen laws against the sexual exploitation of minors at home and abroad.
Because both governing and opposition camps have agreed to basic amendments to the bill, it is highly probable that it will clear the current Diet session, scheduled to run until June.
The legislation is partially in response to international criticism of Japanese "sex tours" in Southeast Asia and the rising number of child pornography Web sites being set up in Japan, proponents say.