The Law for Partial Amendment to the Penal Code,etc.(Law No.156of2004),which was put into effect on January1,2005,raised the upper limit of punishment as follows in order to properly cope with heinous crimes;the upper limit of imprisonment with or without labor for a limited term was raised from15years to20years;the upper limit of imprisonment with or without labor for a limited term by mitigating the death penalty or life imprisonment with or without labor was raised from15years to30years;and the upper limit of aggravation of imprisonment with or without labor for a limited term was raised from20years to30years.Furthermore,a group rape offense was newly established,and statutory penalties were raised for sexual crimes such as rape and indecent assault,homicide,injury and injury resulting in death,and unsafe driving resulting in death or injury in traffic accident.The periods of prescription for prosecution were extended from15years to25years for offenses for death penalty,and from10years to15years for offenses for life imprisonment with or without labor.Furthermore,the period for offenses for imprisonment with or without labor for15years or longer was newly defined for10years.
  The Law for Partial Amendment to the Penal Code,etc.(Law No.66of2005),which was put into effect except part of the provisions on July12,2005,aims at enacting domestic legislation for Japan to sign the"UN Protocol to Prevent,Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,Especially Women and Children",and properly coping with long-term illegal confinement cases and infant abduction/kidnapping cases,which have recently occurred in Japan.This Law newly established offenses concerning human trafficking and abduction/kidnapping with the intention of injuring human bodies,and raised the statutory penalty for illegal arrest/confinement offenses and minor abduction/kidnapping offenses.