USALI Faculty Director José E. Alvarez was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the oldest and most prestigious learned societies in the United States, on September 10, 2022. Professor Alvarez was elected in April 2021, but the ceremony was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This Week in Asian Law
China releases draft revisions to its 2017 Cyber Security Law; Hong Kong requires new trade unions to pledge not to threaten national security; Japan acts to protect freelance workers; South Korea’s Constitutional Court reconsiders the constitutionality of the 1948 National Security Act; Taiwan seeks to bar persons who have committed sexual offenses against children from becoming citizens.
This Week in Asian Law
Human Rights Watch reports massive DNA collection in Tibet; five Hong Kong speech therapists are convicted under a sedition law for publishing a controversial set of children’s books; Japan’s Olympic Games bribery scandal widens; North Korea passes a law to harden its nuclear status; South Korean prosecutors bring charges against the main opposition party leader as his party pushes criminal investigations of the president and first lady; a court in Taiwan awards an elementary student state compensation for a school’s inappropriate punishment.
This Week in Asian Law
A UN report accuses China of human rights violations in Xinjiang; Hong Kong’s High Court says that press freedom does not protect Jimmy Lai’s smart phones from being searched by security authorities; Japan reiterates its call for a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council; a South Korean Supreme Court nominee comes out in favor of abolishing the death penalty; the Taiwan Innocence Project reports its 14th wrongful conviction exoneration.
This Week in Asian Law
The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities reviews China’s performance; six members of a Hong Kong student group plead guilty to charges of subverting the state; a Japanese high court rules that a trans women cannot be the legal parent of her biological child born after her transition; South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission finds past military governments responsible for torture, forced labor, and deaths at a state-funded “vagrants” facility; Taiwan’s Cabinet urges the legislature to relax rules governing police use of weapons.
This Week in Asian Law
A Shanghai court convicts one of China’s richest businessmen of financial crimes; 29 Hong Kong pro-democracy advocates are reported to be preparing to plead guilty to subversion for their roles in organizing an unofficial primary; Japanese prosecutors accuse a former senior member of the Tokyo Olympics committee of corruption; a South Korean court hears testimony from Vietnamese survivors of alleged South Korean military atrocities during the Vietnam War; Taiwan’s main political parties back a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18.
This Week in Asian Law
A Beijing appeals court rejects the claims of a former broadcast intern in a high profile #MeToo case; Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai seeks judicial review to protect “journalistic materials“ on his phones; Japan for the first time grants refugee status to a Kurdish man with Turkish nationality; North Korea schedules a full session of its parliament for September; South Korea’s president pardons the Samsung heir for bribing a previous president; Taiwan raises the minimum wage for foreign domestic workers by 17% - still below the minimum for Taiwanese workers.
This Week in Asian Law
China prohibits discrimination against people who have been infected with Covid; Hong Kong’s High Court removes a ban on reporting on a national security case; Japanese lawyers say that denying a prison inmate access to glasses is a rights violation; South Korea’s government considers asking an international tribunal to stop Japan from discharging radioactive water into the ocean.
Institute News: USALI affiliate publishes commentary on Pelosi in Taiwan
This Week in Asian Law
China’s procuratorate releases case statistics for the first six months of 2022; Hong Kong considers creating new cyber crime offenses; Japan considers allowing divorced couples joint custody of their children; human rights groups in South Korea criticize the 2019 deportation of two North Korean fishermen; a court in Taiwan again demands that civil authorities register the marriage of a same-sex couple even though the home country of one of the partners does not recognize gay marriage.
This Week in Asian Law
China’s highest court issues rules to make it easier for domestic violence victims to obtain personal security protective orders; the UN Human Rights Committee concludes its review of Hong Kong’s implementation of the ICCPR; Japanese health authorities seek to empower hotels to reject guests suspected of having Covid; a South Korean bishop calls for reinstatement of the country’s abortion ban, which was lifted only in 2021; a Taiwan court confirms the state’s ownership of two former presidents’ diaries.
Institute News: USALI Faculty Director José E. Alvarez to address panel on Ukraine crisis
Institute News: USALI Faculty Director José E. Alvarez urges WHO to prioritize individual right to health
This Week in Asian Law
Shenzhen becomes the first Chinese city to allow advance medical directives; the UN Human Rights Committee begins reviewing Hong Kong’s rights record under the National Security Law; Japan’s #MeToo movement symbol Shiori Ito achieves final victory at the Supreme Court; reports of workplace harassment climb in South Korea as employees return to the office; prosecutors in Taiwan charge a police officer for his use of force.
This Week in Asian Law
China’s Supreme Court, prosecutors, and police release drug-related statistics and cases to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking; Hong Kong police search the homes of pro-democracy politicians ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to the city; Japan’s Supreme Court orders Twitter to delete a 10-year-old tweet to protect a man’s privacy; South Korea’s Ministry of Justice challenges the constitutionality of laws that stripped prosecutors of most prosecutorial powers; Taiwan’s Constitutional Court hears arguments in a dispute over legal recognition of an indigenous group.
This Week in Asian Law
China’s legislature reviews eight draft laws; Hong Kong’s incoming leader announces his cabinet members; a Japanese court says the current ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional; South Korean prosecutors plan a crackdown on voice phishing scams; Taiwan’s Control Yuan says it will seek an extraordinary prosecutorial appeal to expunge the conviction of an indigenous man for illegal hunting.
This Week in Asian Law
China drafts its first law on compulsory enforcement of civil judgments; Hong Kong amends its occupational safety and health regulations; Japan’s Supreme Court finds the government not liable for the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident; South Korean police apprehend more than 5,000 suspects in the five months since the enactment of an anti-stalking law; Taiwan’s CEDAW compliance review finds an increase in reports of domestic violence.
This Week in Asian Law
China offers rewards to citizens who report on national security threats; Japan revises its Child Welfare Law; South Korean legislators propose banning hate speech in an effort to stop protests outside the former president’s home; Hong Kong’s incoming chief executive asks a court to relieve him of punishment for violating election advertising regulations; Taiwan’s legislators raise national security concerns over the sale of a news outlet.
Institute News: USALI holds book talk with Innocence Project’s Chris Fabricant
This Week in Asian Law
China takes steps to expunge and seal juvenile criminal records; Japan considers revising the criminal procedure law to allow arrest and search warrants to be issued online; South Korea’s Supreme Court says the government is not required to enact a law to compensate businesses that operated in North Korea; Hong Kong closes portions of Victoria Park to prevent gatherings for the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen killings; Taiwan requires mediation of medical disputes before they go to court.