This Week in Asian Law

March 13-19


China

Hong Kong

Japan

  • In a landmark decision, a Japanese district court ruled that the country’s failure to recognize same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. The court ruled in favor of three same-sex couples in a civil case against the government by finding that laws or regulations that deprive gay couples of the legal benefits of marriage constitute “discriminatory treatment without a rational basis.” The court declined to award damages. One of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, Takeharu Kato, a former USALI visiting scholar, said the decision is likely to have a positive impact on lawsuits filed by 11 other same-sex couples and pending in other courts across the nation. While activists view the victory as a step forward, Parliament must enact legislation for same-sex marriage to become legally recognized. An Asahi Shimbun editorial urged legislators to act, pointing out the concrete ways that same-sex couples are penalized by not being allowed to marry.

  • Japanese police compiled reports of a record 2,172 child abuse victims in 2020, up 9.1% from the previous year, according to a National Police Agency survey. The number of children who died after being abused totaled 61. Growing public awareness of child abuse and greater efforts to address it apparently led to the increase in recognized cases.

  • Former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai, who is on trial for alleged vote-buying to help his wife’s 2019 election campaign, has expressed his intention to resign as a lawmaker, according to news reports. His wife, Anri Kawai, won in the House of Councillors election in July 2019 but the couple was arrested in June 2020. Mrs. Kawai was found guilty in January for conspiring with her husband in handing out cash to four prefectural assembly members.

Koreas

  • South Korea’s financial regulator introduced new penalties against digital currency exchanges that fail to properly implement anti-money laundering measures. The new rules will come into effect from April 20 and will bring the penalties into line with the Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information Act, which takes effect March 25.

  • More than 330 Jeju Islanders who were incarcerated by South Korea’s former authoritarian government following protests in 1948 were acquitted in a retrial in Jeju District Court on March 16. Two of the 335 defendants attended the trial, while the 333 others are officially considered missing, having disappeared in prison. They were originally convicted by a military court of violating the defense security law and engaging in an insurgency. An estimated 30,000 were killed by the military in putting down the protests. On February 26, the National Assembly passed a bill providing for fresh investigations into the Jeju uprising and compensation of its victims.

  • South Korea’s Ministry of Justice announced plans to amend the civil code to recognize animals as “living beings,” not “objects.” Animal rights activists welcomed the ministry's decision, saying the amendment will improve animal welfare and lead to stricter laws for the protection of non-human life. It will also lead to changes to animal-related laws, criminal law provisions, and even the Constitution. The ministry plans to run a task force on the amendment and hold meetings with external experts to craft detailed measures.

  • About 1,000 5G smartphone users have expressed an intent to take part in a collective lawsuit seeking at least $890 in compensation per user from the three mobile carriers, claiming that their 5G network quality falls short of expectations. The lawsuit, expected to be filed in May, follows complaints of slower than advertised 5G speeds and poor quality. As of January, the country had 12.87 million 5G subscriptions, accounting for 18.2 percent of the total 70.7 million mobile network users, according to government data.

Taiwan

  • Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior issued a press release detailing the easing of restrictions on opening foreign non-profit organization (NPO) branch offices in Taiwan, including those from Hong Kong and Macau. The revised Directions for Foreign Civil Institutions and Organizations to Apply to Set up and Register Offices allows foreign NPOs to establish secretariats and multiple offices in Taiwan and waives their duty to report to the local police. While providing a legal basis for NPOs from Hong Kong and Macau to establish offices in Taiwan, the rules exclude organizations and personnel from mainland China.

  • Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) criticized the Nationalist Party (KMT) as a “mouthpiece” of the Chinese Communist Party after the KMT blocked a draft foreign influences transparency act from moving forward. The proposed act would authorize the Ministry of Justice to designate as “foreign agents” persons or corporations who act under the direction of a foreign power to further its interests. It also would treat the assault or intimidation of Chinese exiles who have sought refuge in Taiwan as a special class of crime with harsher sentences.

Vietnam