A Liberal Democratic Party panel proposed revising the Juvenile Law to increase the minimum prison time for juveniles found guilty of crimes that would carry the death penalty for adults.
Under current law, minors between 16 and 18 who are sentenced to life imprisonment for such crimes are eligible for parole after serving seven years.
The panel, from the LDP's Judicial Affairs Division, also suggested the law be revised to make juveniles criminally responsible from the age of 14, two years younger than under the current law.
It also asked the Justice Ministry to study making offenders under 14 criminally responsible under the Penal Code, while asking the ministry to refer to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The panel recommended the creation of a system under which juveniles who commit crimes such as murder, robbery and rape be subject in principle to criminal proceedings now applied to adults.
In an effort to counter the rising incidence of vicious juvenile crimes, the panel recommended the law clearly state that juvenile offenders will be punished.
The law should make minors realize they will be responsible for crimes they commit and have offenders express regret for their actions, it says.