June 17, 2023

The House of Councilors, at its plenary session held on June 16, unanimously approved and enacted a bill to create a new provision in the Penal Code which criminalizes sex without consent.

The voice of sexual assault victims and their supporters, who had been demanding that nonconsensual sexual acts be criminalized, has led to the Penal Code revision.

The Japanese Communist Party evaluated the creation of the provision making nonconsensual sex a crime as "a big step forward". The JCP, however, said that further amendments to the criminal law are necessary, demanding that a "yes means yes" stipulation be created and that the statute of limitations on sexual abuse claims be abolished or at the least extended.

Past related article:
> Lower House unanimously passes Penal Code revision to make nonconsensual sexual acts punishable [May 31, 2023]