On 13 July 2023, the revised sex crime laws entered into force, and we would like to thank everyone who has contributed so much to its revision over the past six years, since Spring was established on 7 July 2017.
We believe that there is probably no one in this society who has not been a victim of sexual violence. And we believe that sexual violence, regardless of the degree, ignores and deprives victims of their ‘No’ and forces them to suffer in common in terms of the destruction of their dignity.
Spring’s wish is that “the criminal law be adapted to the realities of victims of sexual violence”. To this end, we have been working to amend the provisions of the criminal law that force victims to do the impossible, without any consideration for the realities of those who are victims of sexual violence. On 16 June, the Second Amendment to the sex crime laws was enacted, which we greatly welcomed as it became closer to the reality of us, the people concerned.
On the other hand, as some points are still insufficient, we Spring will continue to work for the implementation of a “Yes Means Yes” type of criminal law, i.e. that sexual acts against persons who have not consented voluntarily are a crime, and for a further review and elimination of the statute of limitations for prosecution. We believe that if the government and the people as a whole take a serious look at this issue, it is possible to change the ‘social standards’ that continue to produce sexual victims daily, to change the criminal law and to become a country where neither perpetrators nor victims are born.
Let’s work together to change the criminal law by gathering fellow citizens and working towards a society where the voices of victims of sexual violence are not silenced.
Co-Executive Directors, Spring
Yu Tadokoro, Shoko Saotome
