Author Topic: Japan to lower the age of adulthood from 20 to 18 (Read 5981 times)

Demanding More Makoto · « **on:** May 16, 2007, 07:24:14 AM »

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070516TDY01002.htm
The Yomiuri Shimbun

The government will set up a committee to discuss revising laws to change the age of legal adulthood from 20 years old to 18 in the wake of Monday's Diet approval of a referendum law for constitutional reform.

In principle, the age for eligible voters will be 18 or older under the referendum law, which is expected to be enforced in 2010. But the voting age will be 20 or older until related laws are revised.

The referendum law reads: "The government will consider revising related laws, including the Public Offices Election Law and the Civil Code, and take legal measures if necessary."

The committee will be set up under the Cabinet Secretariat and headed by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Junzo Matoba. It will consist of senior officials of concerned ministries and agencies, and will aim to make necessary revisions by the time the referendum law comes into force.

The central issue of the discussion will likely be the revision of the Public Offices Election Law, which stipulates the eligible voting age, and the Civil Code, which stipulates the age considered adulthood. But in total, it may deal with more than 100 laws, including the Juvenile Law.

If such laws are revised, 18-year-olds will be considered adults, creating a significant change in national systems. A revision of the Public Offices Election Law would increase the number of eligible voters. A revision of the Civil Code would allow 18- and 19-year-olds to marry and to buy and sell assets without parental consent. However, which laws to revise remains to be discussed.
(May. 16, 2007)

Guchi_Jnr · « **Reply #1 on:** May 16, 2007, 07:37:45 AM »

Your topic title makes it sound like it's a sure thing, but it's not.

Also, they have no-idea as to what laws they will need to change, if and when they drop the age.

If it doesn't involve alcohol and smokes, most kids won't care if the law changes or not.

schol3s · « **Reply #2 on:** May 16, 2007, 11:03:24 AM »

make it in a way that any 18 years old are allow to buy gun....
this should make it more fun... and also make japan more popular....

Guchi_Jnr · « **Reply #3 on:** May 16, 2007, 11:47:43 AM »

^ eh?? Care to explain that, cause I for one have no fuckin' idea of what point you are trying to make.

Younger Age With Guns = More Fun + More Popular??

(your not quite all there, are you?)

ferrar1 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 16, 2007, 12:59:17 PM »

adults + guns = disaster

kids + guns = end of e world

RionZ · « **Reply #5 on:** May 16, 2007, 01:19:22 PM »

Kago just couldn't wait it out >_>

schol3s · « **Reply #6 on:** May 16, 2007, 04:31:29 PM »

those 18 year old kids will think is fun having a gun... and start killing people around them like what they see in the game GTA...
so in this case... this will make japan very popular... cause it will eventually make japan as a country with the most amount of crimes...

frblckstr1 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 16, 2007, 04:46:18 PM »

^ You have taken your meds lately?

JFC · « **Reply #8 on:** May 16, 2007, 05:58:21 PM »

Quote from: schol3s on May 16, 2007, 11:03:24 AM

make it in a way that any 18 years old are allow to buy gun....
this should make it more fun... and also make japan more popular....

Quote from: schol3s on May 16, 2007, 04:31:29 PM

those 18 year old kids will think is fun having a gun... and start killing people around them like what they see in the game GTA...
so in this case... this will make japan very popular... cause it will eventually make japan as a country with the most amount of crimes...

That's just fuckin' retarded.

nop · « **Reply #9 on:** May 16, 2007, 06:40:29 PM »

Consider that Japan society is quite conservative. I think they will allow 19 years old to vote only. Youngsters are precious in Japan because of low birth rate. Last thing they will do is to let these kids get married freely or move away from their parents.

RionZ · « **Reply #10 on:** May 16, 2007, 06:54:05 PM »

^Yeah, the youth need to be more active in the political swing of things, especially in a low birth-rate nation such as that.

doinkies · « **Reply #11 on:** May 16, 2007, 07:07:31 PM »

Quote from: JFC on May 16, 2007, 05:58:21 PM

Quote from: schol3s on May 16, 2007, 11:03:24 AM
make it in a way that any 18 years old are allow to buy gun....
this should make it more fun... and also make japan more popular....
Quote from: schol3s on May 16, 2007, 04:31:29 PM
those 18 year old kids will think is fun having a gun... and start killing people around them like what they see in the game GTA...
so in this case... this will make japan very popular... cause it will eventually make japan as a country with the most amount of crimes...
That's just fuckin' retarded.

Yeah, especially since gun ownership's illegal in Japan...

But yeah, like Guchi_Jnr said, this isn't a sure thing yet and they've just started discussing about lowering the age of adulthood. Just because it's being discussed doesn't mean everyone agrees with it after all

xtree · « **Reply #12 on:** May 16, 2007, 07:20:36 PM »

i guess this is a good thing, i wonder how much this will affect life in japan

Tyball · « **Reply #13 on:** May 16, 2007, 07:26:54 PM »

Quote from: schol3s on May 16, 2007, 04:31:29 PM

those 18 year old kids will think is fun having a gun... and start killing people around them like what they see in the game GTA...
so in this case... this will make japan very popular... cause it will eventually make japan as a country with the most amount of crimes...

How did you come to this conclusion? Just because a computer game with lots of guns and crimes is very popular, doesn't mean that Japan with lots of guns and crimes would be very popular. It would be really bad in my opinion.

kwanleekwan · « **Reply #14 on:** May 17, 2007, 03:23:13 PM »

I think 18 is mature enough

Guchi_Jnr · « **Reply #15 on:** May 18, 2007, 01:36:59 AM »

A government panel that is expected to lower the voting age to 18 held their first meeting Thursday.
The panel of top ministry officials has been tasked with the job of reviewing and updating more than 100 laws, including the Public Offices Election Law.
The Diet enacted a law Monday that establishes the procedures for holding a national referendum on constitutional amendments. It states that all citizens 18 years old and older can participate in such votes.
However, the voting age is currently 20, the same for buying alcohol and tobacco.
The new referendum law's supplementary provisions state that changes to related laws — including election and civil laws — will be considered before the bill takes effect on May 19, 2010.
"I personally believe that the country should lower the age of qualified voters so that young people can become emotionally independent," an aide to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on condition of anonymity.
However, he said the age for drinking and smoking must be kept at 20.
"We have to thoroughly discuss whether to revise these laws so that there will be no mistake and objection," said Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Junzo Matoba, who heads the committee.
Matoba said that other than the minimum age for voting, the panel likely will discuss whether to lower the age for participants in the lay judge system, which will begin in 2009.
The voting age in most developed nations is 18.

So they aren't really going to drop the age of adulthood, just drop the voting age, which is nothing really exciting, and most 18~19 year olds wouldn't even care. Hell, most won't even bother to vote since Japan still doesn't have compulsory voting. (Strongly believe every country should have compulsory voting)

And to drop the adulthood age, they would then also have to adjust the age for Coming of Age, and seriously doubt they would do that.

Mugen · « **Reply #16 on:** May 18, 2007, 03:18:52 AM »

japan has one of the toughest law on gun owning. u wont find it like walmart here except u go to the japanese mobs

StreakInTheSky · « **Reply #17 on:** May 18, 2007, 04:30:25 AM »

Why did this become about guns?

Anyways, I see no big deal in this... Even if they're able to vote, most still probably won't be really involved in the political process even more than they are now.

Looks like they're just doing this to conform with other nations lol

ctz · « **Reply #18 on:** May 18, 2007, 05:31:25 AM »

Quote from: Guchi_Jnr on May 18, 2007, 01:36:59 AM

So they aren't really going to drop the age of adulthood, just drop the voting age, which is nothing really exciting, and most 18~19 year olds wouldn't even care. Hell, most won't even bother to vote since Japan still doesn't have compulsory voting. (Strongly believe every country should have compulsory voting)

I think people have right to choose if they're gonna vote or not. Not voting is a decision as well as voting. But if you don't vote it's kinda useless to whine about politics and government decisions...

However I googled a little bit and was surprised how many countries still have compulsory voting system. I have always considered it to be a system of the soviet block and other dictatorships disguised as democracies.

conannd · « **Reply #19 on:** May 19, 2007, 02:45:36 AM »

i think they shouldn't change the age...... 20 is just precise.... i think many kids rite now is not faster growing to be adult, but they r just trying to catch up with us (the adult) while their brain and mentallity still didn't catch up... and this is not good i think...... 20 is just precise....