Not considered. Therefore she only was fined of $ 5,000. The Criminal Code of Japan the age of consent of 13 years. In different prefectures age of consent is 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 years.
Actually I think you have it backwards. Nationally, the age of consent is set at 18, but certain prefectures or local governments set age of consent lower in accordance with local practices. Cases of legal sexual activity among "minors" is far and few between, with most prosecutors citing the aforementioned Child Welfare Law in order to gain a conviction.
Generally speaking, any sexual activity with a minor
under the age of 16 is considered statuatory r***. Between 16 and 18 exists a grey area, depending on the consent of the guardian (but this is more generally applied to the fact that you can legally get married once you turn 16, as long as your parents consent). After 18 is, of course, fair play.
Really, age of consent laws in Japan are not all that different from other countries (thanks to massive pressure from America and other western countries to modify their legal code to match western "standards"). The only thing that should ever surprise anyone about Japan is the
relatively relaxed sentencing (usually a slap on the wrist for a first offense, and no more than 12-18 months even with a guilty plea, often reduced if you accept rehabilitation). Of course, I say
relatively, because other countries (particularly America) seem hellbent on maximizing and extending sentencing.
Other age limits:
Drinking, smoking, voting, and gambling are legal from the age of 20. [Drinking at the age of 20 is no more "
underage" than smoking at 20 is "
overage".]
Perhaps morally questionable, appearing in AV is legal from 18, despite such models being unable to drink or smoke.
And generally speaking, as long as you hold a valid drivers' license, you are able to rent a car with no hard age restriction, unlike in some countries such as America which limit it to 25+.
lease: