The Chinese Central Committee approves a Party and State Institutional Reform Plan in advance of the annual plenary meeting of the National People’s Congress; Hong Kong ends its COVID mask mandate; the Osaka High Court reopens the criminal conviction of a dead man; South Korea’s Constitutional Court upholds a requirement that men born abroad to Korean parents cannot renounce their Korean citizenship until after performing compulsory military service; Taiwan’s national defense ministry withdraws proposed revisions to the General Mobilization Act following widespread criticism.

The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights conducts its periodic review of China’s implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Hong Kong adds national security clauses to land sale and short-term lease documents; Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida apologizes for an aide’s anti-LGBTQ remarks; South Korea’s defense minister rejects a court ruling holding South Korean marines responsible for massacring unarmed civilians during the Vietnam War; Taiwan enacts a Climate Change Response Act aimed at achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Sichuan Province allows unmarried parents to register births; a Hong Kong court prepares to try the organizers of an unofficial 2020 primary election on charges of conspiracy to commit subversion; Japan proposes raising the age of sexual consent to 16 from 13; South Korea’s Ministry of Justice refuses to redefine “rape” to eliminate the need for the victim to prove violence or intimidation; Hong Kongers who want to become residents of Taiwan complain that the process is unreasonably long and difficult.

A Chinese court exonerates a man after 29 years in prison for rape and murder; the Hong Kong government proposes setting up an office to monitor crowdfunding; the Japanese government considers rewarding businesses that enforce human rights standards in their supply chains; South Korea’s Constitutional Court says a ban on rallies near the presidential residence is unconstitutional; Taiwan investigates whether TikTok is illegally engaged in commercial operations.

China relaxes its Covid prevention rules; Hong Kong implements a policy to speed up repatriation of asylum claimants; Japan’s legislature bans “malicious solicitations” of large donations; the South Korean legislature decides how people should calculate their age; Taiwan’s National Human Rights Commission urges businesses to protect migrant worker rights.

A Chinese court imposes a lifetime teaching ban on a man convicted of molesting a student; Hong Kong police investigate how a protest song came to be played at the Asia Rugby Sevens final between Hong Kong and South Korea; a panel of Japan’s Justice Ministry suggests the possibility of allowing divorced couples to have joint custody of their children; a Seoul court freezes about US$104 million in assets belonging to Terraform Labs co-founder Daniel Shin; Taiwan’s Constitutional Court is scheduled to hear a challenge to the divorce law.

China’s legislature approves revisions to the Law on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests; China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs prepares to set up a new International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong; more courts in Japan rule that disparities in the numbers of voters per legislative seat are unconstitutional; South Korea’s ruling party says it will revise the security and disaster management law following a fatal stampede; a Taiwan legislator calls for new safety guidelines for spontaneous mass gatherings.