The Justice Ministry is considering raising the maximum jail term for juvenile offenders from the current 15 years, a ministry official said Friday.
Crime victims and people involved in lay judge trials have been saying the gap in punishments between adult offenders and juveniles is too large.
Justice Minister Makoto Taki said Friday that narrowing the gap is one of the challenges his ministry faces.
He plans to seek the advice of the Legislative Council as early as next month so the government can submit a bill next year to revise the Juvenile Law, the official said.
The Juvenile Law puts priority on rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents.