Japan's sex crime laws will be significantly transformed from mid-July, as parliament passed a law Friday raising the age of sexual consent and expanding the definition of nonconsensual sex as part of Penal Code reform.
Proposed by the Justice Ministry in February in response to public outrage over a series of rape acquittals, the legislative overhaul aims to align Japan's laws with international standards and bring the country in line with other Group of Seven nations such as the U.K. and Canada.
What are the key provisions of the law?