Japanese youth justice has experienced several reforms to date. Currently, a radical revision is under consideration: to lower the age of criminal majority from 20 to 18 years. Japanese scholars and practitioners have since been engaged in debates over this proposal. Drawing on existing empirical research on youth offending and juvenile justice, the purpose of this article is to advance a critical analysis on (in)appropriateness of lowering the age of criminal majority. By focusing on its potential consequences, we also discuss what the future of youth justice in Japan would look like. We conclude with offering research implications.

中文翻译：

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日本青年司法的未来

迄今为止，日本的青年司法经历了多次改革。目前，正在考虑进行彻底的修订：将犯罪年龄从 20 岁降低到 18 岁。此后，日本学者和从业者一直就这一提议展开辩论。借鉴现有的青少年犯罪和少年司法的实证研究，本文的目的是对降低犯罪成年年龄的（不）适当性进行批判性分析。通过关注其潜在后果，我们还讨论了日本青年司法的未来会是什么样子。我们以提供研究意义结束。