Due to the revision of the Civil Code, the adult age will be reduced from 20 to 18 from April 2022.
Why lower it?
We will tell you in detail and in an easy-to-understand manner, such as what will change and what will not change.
What you can see in this article
▽ What changes ▽ What does not change
▽ Why is it reduced now?
▽ What is the adult age of each country?
▽ Consumer troubles that I want you to be careful about
Things that change things that don't change
● Changes
One of the major changes is that when you turn 18, you will be able to sign a contract by yourself.
For example, you can make a credit card or sign a mobile phone contract without the consent of your parents.
If you want to buy a car or live alone, you can legally get a loan or get an apartment contract.
In addition, you will be able to
obtain a passport with a validity period of 10 years and
to apply for a gender change for a person with gender identity disorder from the age of 18.
In addition, the age at which you can qualify as a doctor, certified accountant, judicial scrivener, etc. will be reduced from 18 years old.
However, it is difficult to qualify at the age of 18 because doctors cannot take the national examination unless they complete the medical school of a university that requires studying for 6 years.
In addition, the age at which lay judges will be selected will be reduced from 20 to 18.
Notifications have already been sent to candidates for this year, so it is only next year that people over the age of 18 will actually be selected.
Until now, the nationality selection for people who have both Japanese and foreign nationalities has been set based on the age of 20, but from now on, the deadline will be set based on the age of 18.
On the other hand, the age at which a woman can marry is raised to 18 years old.
I used to be 16 years old, but now I am 18 years old, the same as a man.
● No change Even if the
adult age is lowered, not all things that have been accepted at the age of 20 will be possible at the age of 18.
Drinking and smoking are still prohibited under the age of 20.
Four public gambling such as horse racing and bicycle racing are still prohibited for those under the age of 20.
The age at which you are obliged to join the national pension remains 20 years or older.
Why is it reduced now?
In Japan, the adult age was set to "20 years old" in the 9th year of the Meiji era, more than 140 years ago.
It was stipulated by the Daijo-kan Fukoku, which is a law.
Globally, it is the mainstream that the adult age is 18 years old, and even in Japan,
the right to vote in the referendum on constitutional amendment is set to 18 years old , and
in 2016, the
Public Offices Election Law is amended and voting is possible. There
has been a movement to encourage people to participate in important decisions from the age
of 18, such as the age being lowered to 18.
Under these circumstances, it has been argued that the Civil Code, which stipulates basic rules related to civil life, should treat people over the age of 18 as "adults."
In the background, the birthrate is declining and the population is aging, and the number of working people is decreasing. There is also the aim of having young people participate in society sooner and energize society.
How old are the adults in each country?
In 2016, the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) summarized the adult ages of member countries.
According to it, 32 out of 35 member countries set the adult age at 18 years.
In other words, in most OECD countries, the adult age was already 18 years old.
● OECD member countries Adult age 18 years
▽ Iceland ▽ Ireland ▽ USA ▽ United Kingdom ▽ Israel ▽ Italy ▽ Estonia ▽ Australia ▽ Austria ▽ Netherlands ▽ Canada ▽ Greece ▽ Switzerland ▽ Sweden ▽ Spain ▽ Slovakia ▽ Slovenia ▽ Czech ▽ Chile ▽ Denmark ▽ Germany ▽ Turkey ▽ Norway ▽ Hungary ▽ Finland ▽ France ▽ Belgium ▽ Poland ▽ Portugal ▽ Mexico ▽ Latvia ▽ Luxembourg
However, the regulation of adult age differs depending on the state in the United States and Canada, and in some states the adult age is 19 years old or 21 years old. It is defined as the age.
● OECD member countries Adult age 19 years old
▽ South Korea
● OECD member countries Adult age 20 years old
▽ Japan ▽ New Zealand
* ▽ Lithuania (2018 members) ▽ Colombia (2020 members) ▽ Costa Rica (2021 members) is included in the report Is not ...
Consumer troubles "latest 10 selections" that I want 18 and 19 years old to pay particular attention to
What is the "latest 10 selections" of consumer troubles announced by the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan that I would like you to pay particular attention to when you are 18 or 19 years old, who are new adults.
We will introduce specific consultation cases and points to prevent them in detail.
1. “Make-up story” trouble
The first is troubles related to "profit stories" such as side businesses, information products, and MLM.
Specifically, if you find a part-time job on the Internet that says "just consult by chat" and register it on a side business site, you will be asked for paid procedures one after another in the name of exchanging personal information, and you will pay nearly 100,000 yen. We have received consultations such as "I'm done."
Be especially careful not to neglect advertisements or solicitations that emphasize "easy to earn", and if you are charged a "commission" or "registration fee" to get a reward.
2. “Cosmetology” troubles
The second is trouble related to "cosmetology" such as beauty treatment and beauty medicine.
Specifically, "I saw a promotion saying that I could make up on the day of surgery with double eyelid surgery, and if I applied for counseling, I would have surgery on the same day, and I didn't have swelling for a week after surgery." Consultation has been received.
It is important to thoroughly check for side effects before the procedure, and if you are advised to pay the high cost in installments but cannot pay, do not contract immediately.
3. "Subscription" trouble
The third is the "subscription" trouble of health foods and cosmetics.
Specifically, we received a consultation saying, "I ordered a diet supplement that was advertised as 500 yen on the video site with the intention of once, but the subscription contract was a condition, and I was charged a cancellation fee of 5000 yen." It has been.
Since mail-order sales do not have a cooling-off system that allows you to cancel within a certain period of time, it is necessary to confirm conditions such as the continuation period and cancellation before ordering.
4. "Dating" trouble
The fourth is trouble with dating sites and matching apps.
Specifically, we received consultations such as "When a person I met on SNS approached me on a dating site and used the site, I was charged 160,000 yen as a necessary expense and I can not cancel it." I am.
It is important to check the terms and conditions of the site and application, such as cancellation conditions, before using it, and carefully judge whether the person you know can really be trusted.
5. “Heterosexual / romance related” troubles
Fifth is the trouble related to "the opposite sex / romance" such as the dating business method.
The dating business method is a malicious business method that uses the love feelings of the other party to purchase expensive products, and in some cases, you are forced to borrow money.
Even if it is difficult to refuse because it is explained that you can use it when you get married, it is important to be calm and not contract immediately.
6. “Work-related” troubles
The sixth is trouble related to "work" such as job hunting commercial law and audition commercial law.
Specifically, at the interview of the entertainment agency, he explained, "If you belong, you can definitely appear on TV programs. The admission fee is 50,000 yen, but I will introduce a lot of jobs." There is no such thing as a consultation.
It is important to be careful about solicitations that take advantage of anxiety about job hunting and raise expectations, and do not contract on the spot even if you are asked to bear the cost for lessons.
7. “New life related” troubles
The seventh is trouble related to "new life" such as rental housing and electricity contracts.
Specifically, on the day of the move, a contractor suddenly appeared and was advised to do antifungal work, saying, "I was introduced by the management company. It is better to do the work before putting in the luggage." , I found out that it was a lie by checking with the management company, so I would like to cancel it. "
Since it may not be possible to calmly judge when you are busy due to moving, etc., it is necessary to ask the contact information of the contractor and contact the management company to confirm it.
8. “Debt / Credit Card” Trouble
Eighth is troubles related to borrowing from consumer finance and credit cards.
Specifically, there was a consultation saying, "I bought a computer with revolving credit for an online class at a university, and after checking the usage details more than a year later, the payment balance was higher than I thought it was about 300,000 yen." It has been sent.
It is important to understand the mechanism of credit cards, such as revolving payments, which incur fees, and be sure to check the usage details.
9. "Communication contract" trouble
The ninth is the trouble related to "communication contracts" such as smartphones and internet lines.
Specifically, we have received consultations such as "If the vendor explained that the charge would be cheaper than it is now and changed the optical line contract, it would be higher than before."
It is important to check the pricing conditions and the name and contact information of the solicited vendor.
10. “SNS Kikake” trouble
The last is troubles triggered by "SNS" such as exaggerated advertisements and solicitations from people I met.
There is an increasing number of consultations that SNS was the cause of troubles such as advertisements on SNS and people I met on SNS.
When using SNS along with the measures introduced so far, not writing personal information easily will also prevent troubles.
The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan publishes more detailed consultation cases for young people and points to prevent them on its website.
Also, if you have any problems, please call "188" on the "Consumer Hotline" for consultation.
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