Japan plans to introduce a tougher prison sentence as part of penalties for online insults amid growing calls to tackle cyberbullying, Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Tuesday.
Kamikawa told a news conference that she will ask her advisory panel to examine the plan to impose a prison term of up to one year or a fine of up to ¥300,000 ($2,725) over insults at its meeting Thursday.
At present, the penalty against insults is detention for less than 30 days or a fine of less than ¥10,000. The Justice Ministry is also planning to extend the statute of limitations for insults from one year to three years.