‘ζ‚W‰ρ–ˆ“ϊƒpƒ\ƒRƒ““ό—ΝƒRƒ“ƒN[ƒ‹@‚UŒŽ‘ε‰ο
‘ζ‚S•”@‰p•Ά‚ai•ΆŽš”‚TC‚U‚O‚OŽš’φ“xj
•½¬‚Q‚O”N‚QŒŽ‚P‚V“ϊA‚PŒŽ‚Q‚V“ϊ•t@–ˆ“ϊV•·ŽΠΰE—]˜^‚ζ‚θˆψ—p
Lowering the adult age to 18 requires a wide range of discussions

Editorial: Lowering the adult age to 18 requires a wide range of discussions
 Should the Civil Code be revised to lower the adult age to 18 or should the current 20 be maintained? Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama discussed this significant issue that questions the foundation of the socially-accepted idea with the ministry's Legislative Council.
 The question was raised in relation to the establishment of the National Referendum Law last May. It grants those aged 18 or older with a voting right. This started from the tactics between the ruling and opposition camps. However, it is meaningful for us to think about the legal criteria of being an adult as we experience the changes in social conditions.
 The idea of the adult age being 20 began when the proclamation was issued by the supreme administrative organ in 1876. It was decided under the Civil Code established in 1896. Although the idea of lowering the age has been discussed in line with the prevalence of education and the improvement in physique, there is still an influential caution to carefully handle the discussion due to the concern over the mental maturity of today's youth and the lowering employment rate. Some argue that shortening the period under protection does not make sense as the average life expectancy is becoming longer.
 Setting the adult age at 18 is epoch-making as many people graduate from high school at that age, especially when we consider that most people go to high school as if it were compulsory education. We can expect an educational impact of lowering the adult age. It will promote todayfs youth to be aware of being adult and responsible for their behavior. We should also consider that the social contribution by the younger generation is expected as the ageing of the population advances. When we look outside Japan, age 18 is most prevalent as the adult age and it is difficult to find a rational reason to maintain the current age of 20.
 Then, there will be no problem with lowering the age to 18 in relation to rights (such as the voting right) and responsibilities to participate in democratic society.
 However, this does not mean it should be lowered to 18 in every aspect. Lowering the drinking and smoking age requires careful scientific analysis and examinations.
 It will also be difficult to build a consensus on the marriage age. If the adult age is lowered to 18, men cannot marry until they reach the adult age and women can marry even when they are a minor, but parent's permission remains required for a certain period. It poses a question of how to handle the gap between men and women in the principle of equality. It is quite a challenge.
 Lowering the adult age also requires the review of as many as 308 laws and regulations. The impact it will have on various aspects is immeasurable. Although ministries and agencies plan to examine related laws if the Civil Code is revised, discussions involving the people are essential because this changes our conventional idea that has been maintained for over a century.
 Leaving the discussions on reviewing the Civil Code only to the Legislative Council is also questionable. The Ministry of Justice and other entities need to conduct a national poll and listen to experts in various fields to understand the current situation and the trend of the national consensus. Because it is a major far-sighted national policy, we have to wait for the development of a wide range of discussions and should never draw a conclusion in haste just because the enforcement of the National Referendum Law is nearing.
The Mainichi Newspapers morning edition, Feb. 17, 2008
Column: Wish to interact with strangers...
 Wish to interact with strangers. I wonder whether this is human nature. Release a balloon with a letter attached to it in the sky. Release a bottle with a letter in it into the ocean. We often hear news that the person who released the balloon or bottle began communicating with the person who found it.
 But still, the story of a letter attached to a balloon being found in the ocean 15 years after it was released is surprising. The letter was attached to the back of a flounder that was caught in waters at a depth of 1,000 meters below sea level. It amazes me. It is understandable that Ms. Natsumi Shirahige who released the letter when she was a first grader was pleased at this "wonderful news."
 Wish to interact with intelligent life outside the globe. With this wish, spacecraft have continued to venture into outer space. These spacecraft, Voyagers 1 and 2, were launched more than three decades ago. The golden record mounted on them introduces sounds and images of life and culture on Earth.
 Sounds of waves and thunder, and chirping birds and elephant's bellows. A photo of a mother and a baby, dolphins, classrooms with children in them... Shakuhachi performance and greetings in various languages... The record contains such sounds and photos. This is the message selected by the committee chaired by astronomer Carl Sagan.
 The Voyagers are traveling in deep space more than 10 billion kilometers away from the Earth. Still, it is too hasty to expect intellectual life outside the globe. Although Ms. Shirahige's letter returned to her, only humans in the far future will receive a reply to Voyagers' message.
 Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda stressed measures to tackle global warming in the Davos Forum in Switzerland. Efforts to tackle global warming are a key that affects the future of human beings and the Earth. It would be sad if the life and culture contained in the golden record have disappeared by the time intellectual life receives it.
The Mainichi Newspapers morning edition, Jan. 27, 2008