The Japanese government plans to criminalize sex with children under age 16 by raising the legal age of consent from 13, part of the country's Penal Code reforms, which critics say are long overdue and urgently needed to protect vulnerable minors from sexual offenses. While the proposed changes will make sexual intercourse with a person under 16 illegal, regardless of consent, an exception is provided for intercourse between youngsters at least 13 years old with an age difference of less than five years. of serious sex offenses in Japan rises sharply in 2022