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Over at Travel.SE, there's [a bit of a
debate](https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/46734/curfew-is-walking-on-
the-street-in-tokyo-legal-after-11-00-pm-if-youre-under) on how to parse [this
piece of Tokyo
legislation](http://www.reiki.metro.tokyo.jp/reiki_honbun/g1012150001.html):

> (深夜外出の制限)
>
> 第十五条の四
>
> **保護者は** 、通勤又は通学その他正当な理由がある場合を除き、深夜(午後十一時から翌日午前四時までの時間をいう。以下同じ。)に
> **青少年を外出させないように努めなければならない** 。

I glossed the bolded part as "guardians... must endeavour to not let youth go
out" late at night, which seems clear enough. Now the question is, does this
refer only to youth going out _by themselves_ (alone)? Or is it also illegal
for the youth to go out together with their guardian if there is no "good
reason" (正当な理由) for them to be out?

Specifically, the original question was asking whether it would be illegal for
a visiting tourist to take their 15-year-old son out shopping or sightseeing
late at night.
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meaning
Does 青少年を外出させないように refer to to letting a youth out alone, or in any circumstances?
東京都青少年の健全な育成に関する条例:

> 第十五条の四
> 保護者は、通勤又は通学その他正当な理由がある場合を除き、深夜(午後十一時から翌日午前四時までの時間をいう。以下同じ。)に青少年を外出させないように努めなければならない。  
>  2 何人も、保護者の委託を受け、又は同意を得た場合その他正当な理由がある場合を除き、深夜に青少年を連れ出し、同伴し、又はとどめてはならない。

[One lawyer explains this](http://lmedia.jp/2014/12/31/59614/) like this:

> 禁止されているのは、保護者の許可なく、 **あるいは、** 正当な理由なく青少年を深夜に連れ出す行為です。

[Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
says](http://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/seian/ken_iku/ken_iku.htm):

> 何人も、保護者の同意なく、 **又は** 正当な理由なく、深夜に青少年を連れ出し、同伴し、とどめてはいけません。

In other words, a 15-year-old boy needs **BOTH** 保護者の許可/同意 **AND** 正当な理由 in
order to go out late at night, regardless of whether they're alone or with
their parents.

When a children is accompanied by their parents, obviously there is a 保護者の同意
indicated by the second clause. But it does not necessarily mean there is also
a 通勤又は通学その他正当な理由 indicated by the first clause. Importantly, the first clause
is independent of the second clause, and 正当な理由 _in the first clause_ does not
include 保護者の同意 itself. (Otherwise, 保護者の同意 would be the only requirement, and
the first clause would be totally meaningless!)

As far as I could find, there are no official sites which states that the sole
existence of 保護者の同意 serves as the 正当な理由 for a youth to go out late at night.
Thus, even when a children is accompanied by their parents, it can be illegal
depending on the situation. The lawyer I mentioned says:

> 保護者同伴だったとしても、例えば、深夜遅くまで歓楽街や風俗街を連れて回るなどの行為に及んでいる場合には、やはり規制対象となることでしょう。

In reality, basically you don't have to worry at all if you want to climb Mt.
Fuji overnight with an underage child. But you will certainly be questioned by
police officers when you are hanging around Roppongi with a youth late at
night. Also note that many leisure facilities (such as theaters) absolutely
deny entrance of underage people after 11PM even when they're with their
parents.
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