Japan Raises Age of Consent to 16 in Overhaul of Century-Old Sex Crime Laws

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

51% : Japan's public broadly supports same-sex marriage, according to opinion polls, while local governments in most of the country allow same-sex partnership agreements that fall short of the rights guaranteed by marriage.
48% : "Some 70 percent of the nation allows same-sex partnerships, and surveys have found more than 70 percent of people are in favor of same-sex marriage," the activist group Marriage for All Japan said in a post on Twitter after the bill passed.
45% : Separately, Japan's parliament passed a new law on Friday to promote understanding of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) communities in the country, but activists argue that doesn't provide any human rights guarantees.
44% : The initial draft stipulated that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity should "not be tolerated" but was changed to "there should be no unfair discrimination," which critics say may tacitly encourage some forms of discrimination.
42% : Japan has come under pressure from other G7 nations, especially the United States, to allow same-sex marriage.

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