Editorial: Juvenile Law reform needs debate.

The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and Hoshuto (New Conservative Party) have agreed on the basic provisions of a bill aimed at revising the Juvenile Law. The bill is expected to be submitted at the extraordinary Diet session to be convened on Thursday.

Major provisions in the draft bill include the lowering of the minimum age at which juveniles can face criminal charges by two years from the current 16 to 14. If juveniles aged 16 or older intentionally commit capital crimes, such as murder and inflicting bodily injury resulting in death, they will, in principal, face criminal trials.

As could be seen in a series of recent violent incidents, juvenile offenders have become younger, commit more brutal crimes and often act in groups. Reports …