Lower house passes bill to revise Juvenile Law.

Lower house passes bill to revise Juvenile Law Yomiuri A bill for a sweeping revision of the Juvenile Law, including a new provision to lower the minimum age at which juveniles can face criminal punishment to 14 from the current 16, passed the House of Representatives at its Tuesday plenary session. The three ruling coalition parties--the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and Hoshuto (New Conservative Party)--submitted the bill primarily with the aim of toughening legal deterrents to serious juvenile crimes in the wake of a series of serious offenses by minors. In addition to the coalition parties, the leading opposition party--Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan)--and …