A supra-partisan group of Upper House members has compiled a draft bill to fight domestic violence that would allow court restraining orders against perpetrators based on police and notary reports, group members said Friday.
The bill would empower district courts to impose six-month restraining orders against offenders inflicting violence against their spouses and partners and force them to vacate their homes for two weeks.
Failure to comply with an order would mean a maximum of one year in jail or up to 1 million yen in fines. People who make false reports of violent incidents at home would be fined 100,000 yen.
Led by Liberal Democratic Party member Chieko Noono, the group aims to complete drafting of the bill later in the month and present it to the current Diet session by the end of March.
The legislation will not specifically target violence against women, and covers couples who are married or living together. The draft bill urges prefectural governments to encourage women's centers to provide advice, support, counseling, emergency protection and shelter to victims of domestic violence.
If despite such efforts violence against the victims should continue to a degree where their life or health are in serious danger, the court will be empowered to issue restraining orders against their spouses, based on complaints from the victims, according to the draft proposal.