Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Coming of age: Why adults in Japan are getting younger
What does becoming an adult mean to the young? In Japan, 20-year-old has been considered the age to be adult since 1876. When a person reaches the age of adulthood, they are responsible for themselves legally and socially and allowed to drink alcohol and smoke. There is even an official ceremony, called The Coming of Age Festival, to welcome new adults every year in January, where all new adults are celebrated by their respective local communities.
In Japan, when a person reaches the age of 18, he or she can get a driver’s license, vote for elections, and get married if their guardians agree. After 2022 when the new laws take effect, they can marry without a parental consent, borrow loans and apply for credit cards, but they still have to wait to become 20 either to smoke or drink.
Why are they changing the laws? What are soon-to-be adults thinking of the change?
Enjoy reading and learn this rare drastic move in Japan’s usually conservative society.
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