文本选自：The Washington Post（华盛顿邮报）
作者：Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Julia Mio Inuma
原文标题：Japan (finally) changes a century-old law: The age of consent is now 16
原文发布时间：17 Jun. 2023
Japan (finally) changes a century-old law: The age of consent is now 16
Japanese lawmakers on Friday adopted legislation to raise the country's age of sexual consent to 16 from 13, an age limit that had remained unchanged since 1907 and was so low that it made Japan an outlier in the developed world. The change came as a part of an overhaul of Japan's laws on sex crimes. The new laws were prompted by growing public outcry over repeated acquittals of sexual abusers and increasing instances of people taking sexually exploitative photos and videos without consent - including footage of girls.
Advocates of stricter sex-crimes laws welcomed the changes, but said more needed to be done to ensure greater protection of women and girls in Japan. "It is still far from the reality of sex crimes and only really scratches the surface. I really hope that the laws will catch up to the reality imminently, " said Ikuko Ishida, founder of sexual violence survivors group Be Brave Japan. The changes are a part of a gradual modernization of laws that protect victims of sexual crimes.
In 2017, Japan revised its Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure for the first time in more than a century to clarify what constitutes rape and to remove the stipulation that only women can be victims of forced sexual assault. Japan is a male-dominated society with vast underrepresentation of women in positions of power. Its government - run by a mostly older, conservative and elite group of men - has been slow to adopt changes that concern the welfare of women and girls.
日本修改百年历史的法律
精听党背景导读
据NHK报道，6月16日，日本正式通过对性犯罪法律的改革，强奸的定义从“强迫性交”扩大到“非自愿性交”；性同意年龄也从13岁提至16岁。
据此前法律，强奸等需要存在“暴力或威胁”才能定罪，但即便没有暴力或威胁，受害人也可能因各种情况无法反抗。鉴于这些问题，修改后的法案将罪名从“强迫性交、猥亵”改为“非自愿性交、猥亵”，列出多个受害者可能“难以反抗”的情况，包括殴打、威胁、酗酒、吸毒、滥用上下级关系、突然袭击、无法表示拒绝等，举报强奸的时效也将从10年提高至15年。
此外，同意性行为年龄从13岁提至16岁及以上。原则上，与16岁以下的人发生性行为将被处罚，同龄人之间的行为不予处罚；13-15岁人群，年龄相差超5岁的也予以处罚。同时，为了防止窥淫癖，新法还包括禁止偷窥、偷拍异性私处和内衣的行为。报道称，当局还将把“在社交媒体以性为目的驯服儿童的心理控制行为”列入新法中。
文本选自：The Washington Post（华盛顿邮报）作者：Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Julia Mio Inuma原文标题：Japan (finally) changes a century-old law: The age of consent is now 16原文发布时间：17 Jun. 2023关键词：日本 性同意 年龄
精听党带着问题听
1.“浅尝辄止”用英语可以怎么表达？2. 如何理解段二中的“catch up to the reality ”？3. 日本为什么在对涉及妇女和女孩福利的改革方面进展缓慢？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
Japan (finally) changes a century-old law: The age of consent is now 16
日本（终于）修改了一个有百年历史的法律：法定性行为年龄从13岁提高到16岁。
consent
n. 同意，许可；1. He gave his consent to the proposal. 他同意了这个提议。
段一
Japanese lawmakers on Friday adopted legislation to raise the country’s age of sexual consent to 16 from 13, an age limit that had remained unchanged since 1907 and was so low that it made Japan an outlier in the developed world. The change came as a part of an overhaul of Japan’s laws on sex crimes. The new laws were prompted by growing public outcry over repeated acquittals of sexual abusers and increasing instances of people taking sexually exploitative photos and videos without consent - including footage of girls.
adopt vt. 采纳，通过；1. The committee adopted the new policy unanimously. 委员会一致通过了新政策。
legislation n. 立法，法律；1. The government is planning to introduce new legislation to tackle the issue. 政府计划引入新的立法来解决这个问题。
remain vi. 保持，继续存在；1. Only a few buildings remained after the earthquake. 地震过后只剩下了几栋建筑。2. Despite the difficulties, they remained determined to succeed. 尽管困难重重，他们仍决心取得成功。
outlier n. 异常值，离群值；1. The country’s economic performance is considered an outlier in the region. 该国的经济表现被认为是该地区的异类。
overhaul n. 彻底检修，全面改革；1. v. 彻底检修，全面改造；全面改革（制度或方法）；
The company decided to overhaul its outdated production process. 公司决定彻底改革过时的生产流程。
sex crimes 性犯罪；
prompt vt. 促使，引起；1. Her success story prompted many others to pursue their dreams. 她的成功故事激励许多人去追求自己的梦想。
outcry n. 强烈抗议；大声疾呼；1. There was an outcry against the new road. 人们强烈反对修建新路。
acquittal n. 赦免；无罪开释；1. The acquittals of the suspects caused public outrage and sparked protests. 嫌疑犯的无罪裁定引发了公众的愤怒，并引发了抗议。
abuser n. 滥用者；施虐者；
instance n. 例子，实例；1. The instances of cyberbullying have increased with the rise of social media. 随着社交媒体的兴起，网络欺凌的发生增加了。
exploitative adj. 剥削性的，利用性的；1. Children should be protected from exploitative situations and provided with safe environments. 应保护儿童不受剥削，并为其提供安全的环境。
footage n. 影片片段，镜头；
参考译文
日本议员在周五通过了一项立法，将该国的性行为法定年龄从1907年以来一直未变的13岁提高到16岁。此前的年龄限制过低，使得日本在发达国家中成为一个异类。这一变化是日本对性犯罪法律进行全面改革的一部分。由于不断有性侵犯者被无罪释放，以及越来越多的人在未经同意的情况下拍摄性剥削照片和视频——包括女孩的视频，公众对此表示强烈抗议，促使了新法律的出台。
段二
Advocates of stricter sex-crimes laws welcomed the changes, but said more needed to be done to ensure greater protection of women and girls in Japan. “It is still far from the reality of sex crimes and only really scratches the surface. I really hope that the laws will catch up to the reality imminently,” said Ikuko Ishida, founder of sexual violence survivors group Be Brave Japan. The changes are a part of a gradual modernization of laws that protect victims of sexual crimes.
advocate n. 倡导者，拥护者；1. Advocates for environmental protection are calling for stricter regulations on carbon emissions. 环境保护倡导者呼吁对碳排放实施更严格的法规。2. She has been a vocal advocate for gender equality in the workplace. 她一直积极倡导职场性别平等。
scratch the surface 浅尝辄止；只触及表面，只涉及表面问题；1. The research paper only scratches the surface of the complex issue of climate change. 这篇研究论文只触及了气候变化这一复杂问题的表面。
catch up to the reality 赶上现实，追赶现实；1. She struggled to catch up to the reality of her financial situation after losing her job. 失业后，她努力适应自己的财务状况的现实变化。
imminently adv. 即将，不久之后；1. The project deadline is imminently approaching, and we need to work quickly to meet it. 项目的截止日期即将到来，我们需要迅速行动以满足要求。2. The announcement of the winner will be made imminently. 获奖者的公布即将到来。
gradual adj. 逐渐的，渐进的；1. The company implemented a gradual increase in salaries over the course of three years. 公司在三年的时间里逐步提高了工资。
modernization n. 现代化；
参考译文
支持更严格性犯罪法的倡导者对这些变化表示欢迎，但他们表示还需要更多的努力来确保日本妇女和女孩得到更大的保护。性暴力幸存者组织“勇敢日本”的创始人石田郁子说：“这与性犯罪的现实相去甚远，只是触及了表面。我真心希望法律能尽快赶上现实。”这些变化是保护性犯罪受害者的法律逐步现代化的一部分。
段三
In 2017, Japan revised its Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure for the first time in more than a century to clarify what constitutes rape and to remove the stipulation that only women can be victims of forced sexual assault. Japan is a male-dominated society with vast underrepresentation of women in positions of power. Its government - run by a mostly older, conservative and elite group of men - has been slow to adopt changes that concern the welfare of women and girls.
revise vt. 修改，修订；1. She revised her essay multiple times before submitting it. 她在提交之前多次修改她的文章。2. The author revised the book based on feedback from readers. 作者根据读者的反馈修改了这本书。
clarify vt. 阐明，澄清；1. The teacher clarified the instructions for the assignment. 老师澄清了作业的要求。2. I need you to clarify your position on this matter. 我需要你澄清你在这个问题上的立场。
constitute vt. 组成，构成；1. Freedom of speech constitutes a fundamental right in a democratic society. 言论自由是民主社会的一项基本权利。
rape n. 强奸；1. v. 强奸，强暴；
He was arrested for attempting to rape a woman. 他因企图强奸一名妇女而被捕。
stipulation n. 规定，约定；1. One of the stipulations of the contract is that payment must be made in full within 30 days. 合同的条款之一是必须在30天内付清全部货款。
assault n. 攻击，袭击；1. The gang assaulted him with weapons. 那伙人用武器袭击了他。
male-dominated adj. 男性主导的；1. The engineering industry is often described as male-dominated. 工程行业常被描述为男性主导的。
参考译文
2017年，日本在一个多世纪以来首次修订了《刑法典》和《刑事诉讼法》，明确了什么是强奸，并取消了只有女性才能成为强迫性侵犯受害者的规定。日本是一个男性主导的社会，女性在权力岗位上的代表性严重不足。该国政府主要由年龄较大、保守和精英的男性组成，在对涉及妇女和女孩福利的改革方面进展缓慢。
精听党每日单词
consent
/kənˈsent/ n. 同意，许可；
adopt
/əˈdɑːpt/ vt. 采纳，通过；
legislation
/ˌledʒɪsˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 立法，法律；
remain
/rɪˈmeɪn/ vi. 保持，继续存在；
outlier
/ˈaʊtlaɪər/ n. 异常值，离群值；
overhaul
/ˌoʊvərˈhɔːl/ n. 彻底检修，全面改革；
sex crimes
性犯罪；
prompt
/prɑːmpt/ vt. 促使，引起；
outcry
/ˈaʊtkraɪ/ n. 强烈抗议；大声疾呼；
acquittal
/əˈkwɪt(ə)l/ n. 赦免；无罪开释；
abuser
/əˈbjuːzər/ n. 滥用者；施虐者；
instance
/ˈɪnstəns/ n. 例子，实例；
exploitative
/ɪkˈsplɔɪtətɪv/ adj. 剥削性的，利用性的；
footage
/ˈfʊtɪdʒ/ n. 影片片段，镜头；
advocate
/ˈædvəkeɪt/ n. 倡导者，拥护者；
scratch the surface
浅尝辄止；只触及表面，只涉及表面问题；
catch up to the reality
赶上现实，追赶现实；
imminently
/ˈɪmɪnəntli/ adv. 即将，不久之后；
gradual
/ˈɡrædʒuəl/ adj. 逐渐的，渐进的；
modernization
/ˌmɑːdərnəˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 现代化；
revise
/rɪˈvaɪz/ vt. 修改，修订；
clarify
/ˈklærəfaɪ/ vt. 阐明，澄清；
constitute
/ˈkɑːnstɪtuːt/ vt. 组成，构成；
rape
/reɪp/ n. 强奸；
stipulation
/ˌstɪpjuˈleɪʃn/ n. 规定，约定；
assault
/əˈsɔːlt/ n. 攻击，袭击；
male-dominated
/'meil dɔmineitid/ adj. 男性主导的；
精听党文化拓展
未成年人是民族的未来，各国均制定了未成年人保护的相关法规和政策。由于过早的性行为会对未成年人的生理和心理造成巨大伤害，所以立法者会对未成年人的性同意权利作出一定的限制，以一定的年龄为限，在此年龄以下的未成年人没有性同意权利，换句话说，与此年龄以下的未成年人发生性行为，无论未成年人同意与否，都视为犯罪。
在具体的性同意年龄上，各国并不统一，在我国，现行法律规定是14岁。
民国初期，我国的幼女年龄定为12岁，但被认为过低，在借鉴西方立法趋势之后，1928年《中华民国刑法》将此年龄界限提高到16岁。但很快又有人质疑，认为“根据通常女子发育程度，及表示同意之能力而言，（16岁）似觉太严”，具体而言，该年龄界限更适合乡村，而与都市的实际不符。不过，1935年《中华民国新刑法》没有采纳这个意见，保留了16岁的年龄限定。新中国成立后，立法者将同意年龄确定为14岁，主要依据是女性实际生理的发育成熟。
在法学界，围绕性同意年龄，一直存在自由主义与家长主义两个派别的争论。前者主张降低同意年龄，赋予未成年人更多的选择自由；后者则主张提高同意年龄，加大对未成年人的保护力度，防止强者对弱者的剥削。多数国家的立法者试图在这两种立场中进行平衡，既要保障个体在性上的选择自由，又要满足社会对个体的义务期待，以维系其正常运作。
当前，各国立法者都趋向于提高性同意年龄，之所以如此，不是放弃了均衡的立场，而是考虑到人的性生理发育与性心理发育不一致这个基本事实。随着个体性生理的发育成熟，性心理也逐渐形成和发展，人的性成熟更多地表现为性心理的成熟。只有当个体能够正确认识两性关系，形成正常的性情感和性意志，自觉按照社会道德规范和法律要求，主动控制自己的性冲动和性行为时，他/她才是性成熟了。
精听党每日美句
The unexamined life is not worth living.
未经审视的人生不值得度过。