Activists campaigning against sexual violence urged Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday to ensure the swift passage of a bill to toughen penalties for rape and other sex offenses during the current Diet session.

The request came after the Cabinet approved the bill for sweeping legal revisions last month.

Jun Yamamoto, representative of a group composed of survivors of sexual violence such as herself as well as supporters, told a meeting of the LDP's Research Commission on the Judiciary System of her experience as a teenage victim of sexual violence by her father, and urged that the bill "definitely be passed in the current parliament session" ending on June 18.

It is rare for civic group members to be given a chance to give their opinions at the meeting.

The bill aims to raise the minimum sentence for rape to five years from the current three years, expand the scope of victims to include men as well as women, and no longer require an official complaint from a victim in prosecuting an assailant in a rape or sexual molestation case.

But debate on the bill is now on hold, as the Diet is first deliberating a bill to criminalize conspiracy to commit serious crimes, ostensibly to combat terrorism.

"I am worried that the passage of the bill is under threat," Yamamoto told a press conference afterward, urging lawmakers to "understand the experience of victims and have the bill passed after thorough deliberations."

Yamamoto also said there are a growing number of cases of rape on university campuses and called for sufficient measures to help victims.

A different civic group said in a separate press conference that they submitted a request and a petition with around 8,000 signatures calling on the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito to prioritize revision of the Penal Code.

"Please create first a law to protect human rights," said Koyuki Higashi, who also suffered sexual abuse from her father.