Editorial: Start with voting right for legal age issue
November 5, 2009
November 5: A Justice Ministry commission recently endorsed the idea. A number of local governments throughout Japan have already put it into practice. All told, some 160 countries have laws mandating it.
The idea? Revising the legal age from 20 now to 18. New Komeito has lobbied for the revision for years in the belief that it not only offers some 2.7 million young Japanese the opportunity—as well as responsibility—to manage their own lives full-fledged adults, it also provides them with the right to participate in the democratic process.
The problem is that the legal age in Japan was established in the early years of the Meiji era more than a century ago. That means more than 300 laws—from those setting the smoking and drinking age to the granting of marriage licenses, bank loans and even participation in pension plans—are based on the current legal age.
There is a cultural inhibitor at work as well: According to a government survey conducted in the fall of 2008, some 70% of respondents opposed granting 18-year-olds the right to parental authority, believing they are too young to assume the heavy responsibilities of parenthood.
Nevertheless, the political opposition to a change in legal age seems to be melting. In its policy manifesto issued before the House of Representatives election in September, the Democratic Party of Japan, the senior partner in the present ruling coalition, was in favor of lowering the legal age to 18.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has since backtracked somewhat on the issue, preferring instead to lower the voting age first. Countries like South Korea and New Zealand, for instance, have already adopted this tactic.
While New Komeito still advocates a more comprehensive revision, we believe the prime minister’s decision is an acceptable first step. In any case, an issue of this magnitude deserves greater public and legislative discussion, and we call upon all parties, political and otherwise, to engage in it as soon as possible.
