Dear visitor, if you know the answer to this question, please post it. Thank you! Note that this thread has not been updated in a long time, and its content might not be up-to-date anymore. Travel with a japanese female friend? During one month this summer, we me and my japanese female friend will travel during one month from Sapporo to Kumamoto.
We are quite close to each other and talk nearly every day for one year. We are both students in university, me in France, her in Japan. I teach her maths and physics and she teaches me japanese. I learn japanese to do my PHD in japan next year But the problem is : our age! I am a 25 years old guy and she's only 18 years old few days before And from what I've heard the age of majority is 20 in japan, not 18 like in most countries in the world.
So I wonder if it's ok. She told me that their parents didn't see any inconvenients to our trip. And I am definitely ok to meet their parents if needed, except that I will arrive only one month before starting our trip. So it will be too short to book the hotels and some crowded trains.
What should I do? Do you think it's weird? Do japanese people get all their rights when they're 20? Or some when they are 18 and some others when they are 20 like beer drinking and smoking? I really appreciate any answer. Thanks in advance! Legal age under law Voting - 20 Alcohol - 20 Tobacco - 20 Driver's license - 18 Moped - 16 Consent to sexual activity - 13 This is the national law.
However, prefectural laws supersede national law on this issue but even the highest prefectural statue is 17 years old. So, as long as you do not provide your companion with alcohol or tobacco, there is nothing legally wrong with your relationship. If you provide her with alcohol and are caught or reported, you could be charged with with the equivalent of corruption of a minor, which is a very serious charge.
