A/HRC/37/15 79. Regarding child pornography, Japan had strengthened the crackdown and promoted various measures to prevent damage and support victims. Those steps would be followed up on every year. 80. Japan had established ad hoc human rights counselling centres at welfare facilities for the elderly. Japan had taken measures to protect elderly persons suffering elder abuse and to support elderly persons’ caregivers etc., based on the law. 81. Japan had deleted the Civil Code provision concerning children born out of wedlock, in December 2013. Japan was conducting human rights education in schools and communities, taking into consideration students’ developmental stages as well as local circumstances. 82. Japan was considering submitting a bill to the Diet as soon as possible to make the marriage age 18 for men and women. 83. Japan reported that allowing same-sex marriage or introducing a partnership system at the national level should be given careful consideration. 84. Japan reported that it examined appropriately whether applicants for refugee status, including applicants from Myanmar, were Convention refugees, while considering the circumstances of their home countries as well as their individual circumstances. 85. Article 14 of the Constitution guaranteed the principle of equality before the law. 86. Based on the 2014 action plan, Japan was continuing to take a holistic approach to eradicating human trafficking, including by enhancing protection and support for victims. 87. Japan had granted special permission to stay, for all victims of trafficking in persons illegally staying in Japan. 88. Regarding the conclusion of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, careful consideration was needed. 89. Japan noted that it had a provisional stay system for applicants for refugee status who did not have resident status. It reported that deportation was suspended while the application was pending and that provisional release was applied flexibly in cases where the person had been detained. 90. Japan had enacted the new act on the technical intern training system, which had relevant provisions and penalties to protect the human rights of trainees, in November 2017. 91. Freedom of expression, including that of the press, was a fundamental human right fully guaranteed by the Constitution and domestic laws, and government officials had never put pressure on journalists. The Broadcast Act was established within a framework of autonomy and independence of broadcasters, and ensured that broadcasters enjoyed some of the freest media circumstances. 92. Regarding violence against women, Japan had implemented measures based on law. For foreign victims in particular, language barriers had been addressed. 93. Japan had achieved a reduction in the number of long-term patients in medical hospitals during the present decade. Japan promoted deinstitutionalization for the mentally disabled, by expanding resources for community-based care. 94. Bulgaria welcomed the Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities and the Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons. 95. Cabo Verde welcomed the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It encouraged Japan to reduce the gender wage gap and to take steps to increase women’s participation in decision-making processes. 96. Canada commended the ratification and implementation of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, and the promotion of equality by voting in favour of the Human Rights Council resolutions on sexual orientation and gender identity. 7