Age of Adulthood

Warm Up

1. When did you get your driver's license?

2. When can you vote in your country?

3. At what age did you graduate university?

Reading

Japan has lowered its age of adulthood from 20 to 18, changing the country's legal definition of an adult for the first time in over 140 years. It was first decided that 20 would be Japan's age of adulthood in 1876. The government made the change on April 1, 2022, to encourage young people to participate in society. The change means that 18- and 19-year-olds now have more responsibilities and freedoms without the need for consent from their parents. They can now do things such as getting a phone, renting an apartment or buying a car.

But people under 20 are still not allowed to drink alcohol, smoke or gamble.

Before now, Japan was one of the few modern countries to define 18-year-olds as children — only allowing 18-year-olds to vote in 2016.

The changes to the Civil Code also raised the legal age of marriage for women to 18. Under the old law, men aged 18 and over and women aged 16 and over could get married, but anyone under 20 required consent from their parents. According to Japan's Ministry of Justice, the decision to change the age of marriage was made to improve equality among men and women.

Kyodo News reported that changes were also made to the country's Juvenile Law, giving stricter punishments to 18- and 19-year-old offenders. So young people need to be careful enjoying their new freedoms.

Reading Comprehension

1. When was the last time Japan changed its legal definition of an adult?

2. Will 18-year-olds in Japan now be able to drink alcohol?

3. Why did the Japanese government change the legal age of marriage for women?

Discussion Questions

1. What are your thoughts on Japan lowering its age of adulthood from 20 to 18?

2. How old were you when you rented your first home or bought your first car?

3. Do you think 18 is an appropriate voting age? Why? Why not?

4. If you had teenaged kids, how would you react if you caught them smoking or drinking?

5. Would you agree that people under 18 aren't mature enough to get married?

6. Which of your friends growing up was the most mature?

7. Did you have a lot of responsibilities around the house growing up?

8. How do people usually celebrate their coming of age where you live?

9. At what age do people in your country usually stop relying on their parents?

10. In your opinion, what's the best age to be? Why do you think so?