Promoting Rule of Law and Human Rights in Asia

The U.S.-Asia Law Institute serves as a bridge between Asia and America, fostering mutual understanding on legal issues and using constructive engagement to advocate for legal progress.

 

New and Notable

New and Notable
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Remembering Jerome A. Cohen: Field Builder, Rights Advocate, and Mentor
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International Law for Whom?
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The Value of US-China Education Exchanges
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Taiwan Legal: What Does International Law Say About Defending Taiwan?
 

Symposium on Nippon Steel and the New Era in US-Japan Economic Relations

The Symposium on Nippon Steel and the New Era in US-Japan Economic Relations is a collection of essays in the USALI East-West Studies series. Nippon Steel’s acquisition of the once-great American steelmaker U.S. Steel closed on June 18, 2025, after recovering from a near-death experience. The symposium analyzes whether the US government’s national security review of the transaction was politicized or whether the definition of “national security” has broadened; differences between American and Japanese views of the transaction; and possible impacts of the entire episode on the wider US-Japan economic relationship. Some of the essays previously appeared in USALI Perspectives and were written while the transaction’s fate was still undetermined.

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Focusing on ESG Could Prevent Disasters Like Fukushima

How much liability should company directors bear for extremely unlikely but extremely damaging accidents? Yoichiro Hamabe critiques a recent Tokyo High Court decision that excuses directors of liability for the devastating Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown of 2011. He argues that imposing a heightened duty of care in high-risk sectors like nuclear power could encourage company directors to pay more attention to environmental risks and community safety, ultimately preventing disasters like Fukushima.

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Talking Points: What Does PRC Law Say About Taiwan?

One of the most complicated topics in contemporary international relations is the status of the self-governing island of Taiwan and its government in Taipei, formally called the government of the Republic of China. In this May 6, 2025 talk, Bing Ling, a professor at the University of Sydney Law School, explains the legal basis for China’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan; what actions might invoke use of the PRC’s Anti-Secession Law, either to use force against Taiwan or simply bring criminal charges against Taiwanese who oppose unification; and the urgent need for the governments in Beijing and Taipei to resume talks.

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This Week in Asian Law

September 21-September 27

China says it will not seek any new “special and differential treatment” as a developing country member of the World Trade Organization but will retain its current benefits; Hong Kong legislators approve a bill setting minimum standards for the city’s tiny subdivided apartments; a Japanese court says it is unconstitutional to require gender reassignment surgery in order to legally change one’s gender; former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declares his innocence at the start of a second trial on charges related to his December 2024 declaration of martial law; South Korean authorities arrest the head of the Unification Church as part of a widening corruption probe; a Taiwan court sentences four former Democratic Progressive Party personnel who were convicted of leaking sensitive information to Chinese military intelligence officials.

Remembering Jerome A. Cohen: Field Builder, Rights Advocate, and Mentor

Jerome A. Cohen, professor emeritus of law at New York University and founding director of the law school’s U.S.-Asia Law Institute, who passed away on September 22, 2025, introduced the study of China’s legal system into American law schools. Through his writings, teaching, private diplomacy, and public advocacy, he was an influential advocate for human rights and the rule of law in China and across East Asia as the region emerged from colonialism and post-war authoritarian rule to become an economic powerhouse.

USALI Faculty Director José Enrique Alvarez Wins 2025 ABILA Book of the Year Award

USALI Faculty Director José Enrique Alvarez and co-author Judith Bauder win the 2025 ABILA Book of the Year Award for their groundbreaking analysis of women's property rights under international law, offering transformational approaches to gender equality and property ownership worldwide.

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Program on International Law & Relations in Asia

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