Japan revised its sex crime laws for the first time in more than a century on Friday ¡ª a historic move that broadens the definition of rape, lengthens prison terms and makes prosecution possible even if those who claim they are victims don¡¯t press charges.
A package of amendments unanimously approved by the Upper House in the final hours of this session of the Diet represents the first shake-up of Â鶹´«Ã½ sex crime laws, which have remained effectively untouched since their inception in 1907.
¡°Â鶹´«Ã½ current legal system doesn¡¯t protect people who went through the most unbearable experience human beings could possibly imagine,¡± Jun Yamamoto, a survivor of childhood molestation, told the Upper House Committee on Judicial Affairs prior to the revised laws¡¯ passage.
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