The government will start next month reviewing a Civil Code provision that sets out parents' right to discipline their children, based on the view that it has been used as an excuse in serious child abuse cases, Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita said Friday.
Yamashita said he will ask the Legislative Council, an advisory panel at the Justice Ministry, to start examining the matter at a meeting on June 20.
"The situation surrounding child abuse is very serious and the Justice Ministry has been considering a review, given that the (parental) right has continued to be used as an excuse," Yamashita said. The minister expressed hope for a productive study and deliberation by the panel on the "urgent" issue.