英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Drinking, smoking ban should stay when age of majority is lowered to 18
飲酒喫煙の年齢　１８歳解禁は理解を得られない

Reducing the age of majority would affect various fields. It is essential to look into the advisability of meticulously revising relevant laws one by one.
　「大人」になる年齢の見直しは、様々な分野に影響が及ぶ。根拠となる法律ごとに、改正の是非を丁寧に検討することが重要である。

The Liberal Democratic Party has put together recommendations to lower the age of majority set at 20 under the Civil Code to 18. The ruling party will report the recommendations to the government by the end of this month.
　自民党が、民法で２０歳と定めている成人年齢を１８歳に引き下げるよう求める提言をまとめた。月内にも政府に提出する。

The move is in response to the enactment of the revised Public Offices Election Law under which the voting age has been lowered to 18. The age for exercising the right to vote should correspond to the age of eligibility for other rights and the obligation to take responsibility under the Civil Code.
　改正公職選挙法の成立で、選挙権年齢が２０歳以上から１８歳以上に引き下げられることを受けたものだ。選挙権を行使する年齢と、民事上の権利や責任が生じる年齢は一致させるべきだろう。

If the age of majority is lowered to 18, it will become possible to take out loans and enter other commercial contracts without parental approval. Efforts must be made to promote consumer education at school and with other programs to prevent young people from falling victim to illegal business practices.
　成人年齢が１８歳になると、親の同意なしに、ローンなど商取引の契約が結べるようになる。悪徳商法の被害に遭わないよう、学校での消費者教育の充実など、環境整備を進めることが欠かせない。

The LDP has postponed a decision on whether to lower the legal age for drinking and smoking.
　飲酒や喫煙を解禁する年齢については、結論を先送りした。

Initially, the party tried to come up with a proposal to permit drinking and smoking from the age of 18 but kicked the plan down the road in the face of opposition from within the party and the medical world. The postponement is quite natural.
　当初、１８歳から認める案をまとめようとしたが、党内や医療関係者などから、反対論が続出したためだ。当然だろう。

If smoking starts early in adolescence, it increases the risk of lung cancer and heart disease, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. The Japan Medical Association warns that habitual smoking by those aged less than 20 adversely affects brain growth and leads to early onset of dementia and other diseases.
　厚生労働省によると、青少年期に喫煙を始めると、肺がんや心疾患にかかるリスクが大きくなる。日本医師会は、２０歳未満の喫煙習慣が脳の発育にも悪影響を与え、認知症などの早期発症につながる恐れがあると警告している。

Adverse health impacts

Furthermore, the younger one starts drinking, the higher the risk of suffering from alcoholism, according to experts.
　酒を飲み始める年齢が早いほど、アルコール依存症になる確率が高まるとも指摘される。

Considering the possible adverse health effects, lowering the age for permitting smoking and drinking will never obtain social understanding.
　健康面への影響を踏まえれば、解禁年齢の引き下げは到底、社会の理解を得られまい。

How to rein in social welfare spending amid dire fiscal straits is a huge challenge. From this point of view, too, no policy change that would entail an increase in medical spending should be made.
　厳しい財政状況の中、社会保障費をどう抑制するかが、大きな課題だ。その観点からも、将来的に医療費の増大を招くような制度変更はすべきでない。

Drinking and smoking can also lead to juvenile delinquency. Moreover, student guidance at high school would become confused if students aged 18, who are allowed to drink and smoke, and those aged 17 attended the same school. Lowering the legal age for drinking and smoking would also make it more difficult for schools to give guidance to students under school rules that ban such behavior.
　飲酒や喫煙は、非行の引き金になる危険をはらむ。酒やたばこが許される１８歳の生徒と、そうでない１７歳の生徒が混在すれば、高校の生徒指導は混乱する。法律で認められれば、校則で禁止しても限界があるのではないか。

Concerning the minimum age for application of the Juvenile Law, the LDP has proposed lowering it from “less than 20” to “less than 18.”
　一方、少年法の適用年齢に関し、自民党は、２０歳未満から１８歳未満への引き下げを提言した。

To encourage rehabilitation for those aged 18 and 19 who will be excluded from the application of the Juvenile Law if the age of application is lowered, the party has called for implementing such probational measures as provided for by the Juvenile Law by prioritizing correctional education over punishment. This recommendation is reasonable.
　更生を促すため、対象から外れる１８歳と１９歳に、刑罰より矯正教育を重視する少年法上の保護処分のような措置を講じることも求めた。妥当な内容だ。

Sending teenage violators to reformatories where correctional education is provided or placing them on probation to give them chances for rehabilitation in society is greatly helpful in preventing juvenile recidivism. If the age for application of the Juvenile Law is lowered to “less than 18,” it will be necessary to deepen discussions about when to apply probational measures to those aged 18 and 19.
　矯正教育を行う少年院への送致や、社会内で立ち直りを図る保護観察の処分が、少年の再犯防止に果たす役割は小さくない。引き下げを前提に、どのようなケースで１８歳や１９歳に保護的措置を適用するのか、議論を深めたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 22, 2015)