The nation took the first significant step in more than a century Wednesday toward revamping its outdated sex crime laws with a Lower House committee¡¯s unanimous passing of a package of amendments, including one that broadens the definition of what constitutes rape.
The proposed revision passed by the Lower House¡¯s Judicial Affairs Committee has the support of both ruling and opposition camps and is expected to proceed smoothly through a plenary session of the more powerful chamber on Thursday.
Whether the revised bills will be enacted into law within this ongoing legislative session remains uncertain, with just a little over a week remaining until the Diet¡¯s scheduled wrap-up on June 18 and the current focus overwhelmed by escalating debates over allegations of favoritism leveled against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
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