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Spring

To create a society in which sexual abuse survivors can live more comfortably.

No decisions about us without us!

In Japan, only 3.7% of rape victims report to the police. 56.1% of them cannot talk to anybody. (Cabinet Office, 2017)

Many victims have been silenced, and the sexual violence has been treated as if it did not actually happen.That is the reality of sexual violence.

Despite this reality, part of the Japanese sex crime law was revised in June 2017, after not having been changed for 110 years. (Surprisingly, until then, the penalty for “rape” had been lighter than “robbery” in the original Japanese law!)

At that time, victims’ support groups that had been active for many years, medical professionals who care for victims, officials in the judicial branch of government, people in media who report on sexual violence, citizens concerned about sexual violence, and survivors raised their voices. They pushed the government take action.

The revision of criminal law was a big advancement. However, there are many problems that remain with the newly revised law.
Please look at the following article of the Forced Sexual Acts Law as stipulated in the current Japanese criminal law.

【Article 177】
Those who have performed sexual intercourse, anal sexual intercourse or oral sexual intercourse (hereinafter referred to as “sexual intercourse etc.”) with assault or intimidation against those aged 13 and older are guilty of forced sexual intercourse, etc. and shall be punished by imprisonment with work for not less than five years. The same shall apply to persons who have sexual intercourse, etc with those under 13 years of age.

As a side note, the constitutional requirement for this Article was established in 1907, and has remained in place for 110 years. It says the requirements for rape under the Penal Code are sexual intercourse with physical violence or intimidation that “could not be resisted,” except in the case of crimes of sexual intercourse by a guardian and sexual offenses against those less than 13 years old.

Therefore, Spring has raised issues with the revised law, including the following;

Issue #1 — Requirement to prove the existence of sufficient assault or threatening.
We believe that sexual violence is assault using a relationship which makes the victim unable to resist or harm caused by driving a victim into a situation s/he cannot resist in many cases. Even if a victim did not consent to a sexual intercourse, the perpetrator cannot be charged without proving the existence of sufficient assault or threats. That is the current situation in Japan. “No consent = No sex.”

Issue #2 — The statute of limitation.
Some victims take a long time to report their assaults. However, the statute of limitations for Forced Sex Crimes is only 10 years and for Forced Obscenity it is 7 years, according to the Criminal Procedure Code in Japan.

After the statute of limitations expires, victims lose the power to prosecute and cannot demand criminal penalties.

Victims lose even the option to report the perpetrators.

Thus, with Japan’s sex crime law, while victims are not recognized as victims under the law because of the requirement of physical violence or threats, the statute of limitations for public prosecution (for sex crime laws in Japan) expires.

In order to change the current reality in Japan, Spring has been lobbying in order to solve these issues and revise the sex crime laws to create laws based on the realities of sexual abuse injuries and suffering.

What is Spring?

Spring is the first incorporated sexual assault survivors’ organization in Japan.

We are engaged in advocacy activities including optimizing the use of sex crime laws, as well as amendments to the law to make it as fair as possible to victims.

Spring is taking action to build a society where sexual assault survivors can find hope.
 Spring was established on July 7, 2017 in order to help sexual abuse survivors recover from their “frozen” condition and to help bring spring to those who are now living in the winter.

The message from Co-Executive Directors, Spring clicks　 here.

In June 2023, the second major revision of the sex crime laws provisions will be implemented! What we will be working on in the coming years are…

1. Closely monitor the operation of the new crime laws
Watch over whether perpetrators will be punished appropriately for non-consensual sexual intercourse, including the five-year age difference requirement for sexual consent and the newly added provision that punishes sexual acts that take advantage of status relationships.

2. Make ‘sexual consent’ a social standard towards a ‘Yes Means Yes’ approach
Make “sexual consent” a social standard and realize “Yes Means Yes” type legal provisions (those who engage in sexual acts without confirming the other person’s consent will be punished).

3. Seek further revision of the statute of limitations for prosecution
The crime law does not allow for prosecution after 15 years for non-consensual sexual intercourse and 12 years for non-consensual obscenity, which is not in line with the actual situation of victims. Calls on the government to conduct fact-finding surveys on those who have difficulty in reporting sexual violence.

4. Expand and raise awareness of trauma treatment systems
Aim for a society where victims can receive care and recovery support anywhere in the country, rather than leaving the burden of the enormous impact on their lives due to the trauma of sexual assault on the shoulders of individual victims.

Please support our activities!

In June 2023, the second major revision of the sex crime law was carried out. The law established the offence of non-consensual sexual intercourse, raised the age of sexual consent to 16 years old, and defined status-based sexual offences, but significant challenges remain regarding the statute of limitations for prosecution.

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【Direct deposit to our bank account】

Bank: Japan Post Bank    SWIFT code: JPPSJPJ1　CHIPS UID: 427593
Account number: 002603138876
Account name: Ippan Shadan Hojin Spring

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