In response to growing calls from grief-stricken crime victims, the Diet enacted a law Friday to stiffen punishment for juvenile offenders, including longer prison terms.

Juveniles who commit crimes that would earn them life sentences if they had been adults currently face a limit of 15 years in prison. Less severe offenses are capped at 10 years.

The new law extends these two upper limits to 20 years and 15 years, respectively.