Japanese juvenile law (少年法, shōnen hō) was established on July 15, 1948 as Law 168.
[1] According to Japanese law, the term "shonen" refers to "a person from the time they enter elementary school until the time they are 15 years of age",[2] and "Any person who has not reached the age of 15 years" (Juvenile Law (少年法, Shonen Hō), Article 2.1).
While the term "shonen" can refer to both young males and young females, the generally accepted term for young females is shōjo.
The following meanings can also be inferred from "shōnen" (a person under 15 years of age) with regard to juvenile law in Japan: The term is also used as a demographic term describing media whose target audience consists primarily of adolescent or pre-adolescent boys.
Shōnen manga is a popular demographic of Japanese manga, and often features a teenage cast as well as a combat based plot while exploring themes of protecting loved ones, mutual understanding and development of friendship/camaraderie.