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© KYODOGov't OKs bill to lower age of adulthood from 20 to 18
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nitpickyned
What I find most notable is the argument that 'Because other countries do it, we should do it too.' as opposed to the usual default reasoning of: 'Just because it is popular in other countries doesn't make it right for us. This is Japan, after all.'.
There is no real outside pressure for them to do this. It seems that they just like to pick and choose when they will use 'foreign standards' to justify doing/not doing what they have already decided to do/not do.
Strangerland
You're asking me the question I asked everyone else. If I knew the answer, I wouldn't need to ask the question.
So many posters here have posted that there is a problem with having different things become allowed at different ages, as if there is already an understanding about why everything has to happen at the same age. I'm not clear on what that underlying understanding is supposed to be, which is why I'm asking.
Disillusioned
Ok, so, what is it? Can you explain why there is (or isn’t) something wrong with having different ages for different things?
Strangerland
It doesn't not make sense.
Everyone keeps talking as if there is something wrong with having different ages for different things, but no one is explaining what that is.
talaraedokko
It’s about the constitution & military & the draft. C@nt do much if HS graduates are still underage. All else is decoy.
Disillusioned
The only good thing I see from this is, all those ‘chimpira’ punks will be tried as adults. However, I fear it’s gonna take a few years for it to sink in to these young idiots that they will be going to the big house for their crimes.
Wolfpack
The argument that Japan should reduce the age of legal adulthood to 18 because it is common in most other countries is kind of silly. Different cultures have different standards. I don’t understand the push to homogenize everything. I think 18 is reasonable but 20 more so. I do think it is strange to have exceptions with respect to certain things such as drinking alcohol. If you are an adult it would make sense to be treated like one.
Wakarimasen
P:lenty of over 20's never grow up........
BertieWooster
They can vote, but they can't drink or smoke.
Does that make sense?
sf2k
Also if they're going to drop it by two years, might as well raise it by two years instead. Closer to the protective 25. Thus, make it 22 not 18. This will prevent a lot of schizophrenia from drugs, alcohol poisoning, and be more in line with the change in ones life doing less childish things and becoming an adult
sf2k
This is a big mistake. It is us with the 18-19 year old majority law that need to raise it to 20, not for Japan to lower theirs. Science has determined that the brain hasn't stopped developing until around 25. It depends on the person but it's around there, +/- a few years. All the aberrant and destructive behaviours occur mostly before then. 25 isn't going to happen but 20 is better than lowering it.
zenzen
End game: As an adult, earlier contribution to national pension, payment of residence tax and likely a loss of other tax deductions. It's all about the money.
joyridingonthetitanic
Seriously what's the issue here?
It seems unlikely that every law that has an age related restriction on it would be changed over night. Live in the real world people! The bureaucratic train wreck that would have followed that decision would have ben catastrophic!
Lowering the age of adulthood to 18 makes perfect sense as it falls in line with a lot of other countries and paves the way for further reforms at a later date. Things like this need to start somewhere and will open the debate up to see if other restricted by age services need to be amended.
Get a grip everyone, and stop moaning!
kohakuebisu
I'm interested to see how this affects seijinshiki, the Coming of Age festival.
I would imagine that it will stay the same because people are stuck in their ways, but it will become a bit silly. It is possible to celebrate when young people turn twenty out of tradition, but doing so means that you are not marking the stage of their lives when actually become adults, the whole point of the original seijinshiki. People in the UK would originally celebrate becoming an adult at 21, but the age of majority changed to 18 in 1969 and that's when people have parties now. The parties mark the event, not the tradition.
Actual seijinshiki ceremonies at town halls have seen more and more incidents in recent years with drunken kids shouting down the local mayor and other high jinx. Given that legal drinking will be one of the few remaining privileges of turning twenty, expect more of the same.
Strangerland
'Affects'.
And it won't. Those laws are already set prefecturally. Any change to the federal law would be irrelevant, as the prefectural laws are already stronger than the federal laws.
Goodlucktoyou
smoking and gambling - fair enough. But when you are 18, you enter university after a life of serious study and stress, a little party might be welcomed with a few cans of hopshou. Not that I recommend alcohol, but you should be over 20 to buy strong alcohol.
i wonder how this effects the age of consensual sex?
Nick in Japan
OK so lets look at this.
Adult at 18 for Voting in the election of criminal politicians and getting married and having a kid.
NOT a Adult at 18 for drinking or entering a club, you must be 20.
Yeah that works.
Strangerland
What is this insistence upon deciding that kids have to be ready enough to do everything all at one age? What exactly is the problem with spacing things out?
Laguna
This means many high school kids will technically be adults. How they'll deal with that will be interesting to watch. I was, for a few months at the tail end of my high school career, and I was constantly writing notes excusing myself from class (hey, I'd already been accepted to college, and surf was up).
Cricky
70 year old men making decisions for the youth. The expert panel again makes a hazy decision that results in confusion after years of meetings.
Bintaro
And what's the reasoning behind this ?
An 18 year old is old enough to get married but not to drink a beer ?
And I guess they will now be old enough to get the death penalty ?
Aly Rustom
That's just plain stupid. Either you are an adult or you are not.
stocktrader
So clauses or contracts can be cancelled more than once? Very confusing.....
smithinjapan
Good news. It doesn't make sense having "children" voting, and also people 18 and up (and younger, even) should be held accountable for their crimes.