Tokyo Considers Lowering Legal Definition of Adult to 18-years-old
The Japanese government is considering lowering the age for adulthood from 20 years old to 18 years old.
Two reasons come to mind:
1. More young people are turning to crime
2. international trends
Why not change the laws of punishment for younger aged kids? And perhaps the
rest of the world needs to raise their age requirements?
Some 30 laws will be affected by this change as well as the Civil Code, juvenile law. Ministry of justice, Internal affairs and other ministries will be affected as well.
Kids, um, people will be able to drink and smoke earlier. That will surely stop crime and reduce health problems.
Perhaps the real reason for the change is so that Tokyo can require 18-year-olds to pay into the national pension system.
With fewer workers, Japan needs to get the money from somewhere to pay for their aging population.
18-year-olds are NOT adults. No way. Twenty might even be stretching it…but you got to start somewhere.
Sure, if an 18-year-old can die for his/her country, s/he should be able to vote. Both are wrong…sending an 18 year old out to die and letting them decide national policy.
Perhaps the world, not just Japan, ought to reconsider the age of adulthood. How about 25?
Nobody should be sent to fight unless they are 25 years old or older and know better. And, 25-year-olds can read and decide, relatively more intelligently on who should govern them.
18 is too young.
What do you think?
