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Victim Participation In Japan, Erik Herber
Victim Participation In Japan, Erik Herber
Washington International Law Journal
In 2008, a victim participation system was introduced in Japan, which enabled crime victims to participate in criminal proceedings. One of the goals of the system was to correct the wrong done to victims due to their lack of previous involvement, thus giving crime victims what they “naturally desire.” Employing Malcolm Feeley’s analytical framework to make sense of planned legal change, this Article shows that the new system emerged against the background of a combination of international trends: victim activism and public perceptions of crime getting out of hand. It finds that for reasons that are not well understood, only …
Introduction Of Videotaping Of Interrogations And The Lessons Of The Imaichi Case: A Case Of Conventional Criminal Justice Policy-Making In Japan, Setsuo Miyazawa, Mari Hirayama
Introduction Of Videotaping Of Interrogations And The Lessons Of The Imaichi Case: A Case Of Conventional Criminal Justice Policy-Making In Japan, Setsuo Miyazawa, Mari Hirayama
Washington International Law Journal
Malcolm M. Feeley examined cases of criminal justice reform in the United States, where reforms can be conceived and initiated in a very open structure, but implementation of the introduced reforms can be handed over to highly fragmented implementers. The story of mandatory videotaping of interrogations and accompanying changes in Japan demonstrates the reform process at the other end of the scale, where the members of the criminal justice establishment can exert a strong influence even at the conception and initiation stages, and have even stronger control at the implementation and routinization stages. We believe that Feeley’s theoretical framework can …
Court Reform With Chinese Characteristics, Margaret Y.K. Woo
Court Reform With Chinese Characteristics, Margaret Y.K. Woo
Washington International Law Journal
In Court Reform on Trial: Why Simple Solutions Fail, Malcolm Feeley identified a number of obstacles that undermine reforms of the United States court system. Feeley’s proposed solution was to adopt a problem-oriented “rights strategy”—letting the courts themselves solve their problems through litigation. This is because litigation is a forum in which courts are well placed to identify specific problems and devise pragmatic solutions. This Article takes a look at this proposition in the context of court reforms in China and concludes that courts (and law) are also a reflection of national goals and identity. Any reforms to a …
East Asian Court Reform On Trial: Comments On The Contributions, Malcolm M. Feeley
East Asian Court Reform On Trial: Comments On The Contributions, Malcolm M. Feeley
Washington International Law Journal
I am honored to have my book, Court Reform on Trial: Why Simple Solutions Fail, serve as the organizing framework for this symposium. The enterprise has proven valuable as it provided a reason to assemble a set of articles that focus on important changes in Asian courts in recent decades. Further, it appears that the reforms in three of the countries are loosely related to each other. While Japan had a head start on judicial reforms, both Korea and Taiwan embarked on the same path as soon as they had shed authoritarian rule. China has pursued a more ambitious …
The Supreme People's Court's Annual Report On Intellectual Property Cases (2016) (China), Tianyi (Tammy) Wu, Xiaoyang Wang
The Supreme People's Court's Annual Report On Intellectual Property Cases (2016) (China), Tianyi (Tammy) Wu, Xiaoyang Wang
Washington International Law Journal
The Supreme People’s Court of China began publishing its Annual Report on Intellectual Property Cases in 2008. The Annual Report summarizes intellectual property cases, such as patent, trademark, copyright, trade secrets, and unfair competition cases. This 2016 Annual Report examines 27 cases and includes general guidelines for legal application. It reflects the Supreme People’s Court’s thoughts and approaches for ruling on new, difficult, and complex IP and competition cases.
Assessing The Direct And Indirect Impact Of Citizen Participation In Serious Criminal Trials In Japan, Matthew J. Wilson
Assessing The Direct And Indirect Impact Of Citizen Participation In Serious Criminal Trials In Japan, Matthew J. Wilson
Washington International Law Journal
In Japan, the idea of citizen involvement in the judicial process has gained greater acceptance over the past decade. On May 21, 2009, Japan implemented its saiban’in seido or “lay judge system” as part of monumental legal reforms designed to encourage civic engagement, enhance transparency, and provide greater access to the justice system. About eight years before this historic day, a special governmental committee known as the Justice System Reform Council (“JSRC”) set forth wide-sweeping recommendations for revamping Japan’s judicial system. The underlying goals targeted three pillars of fundamental reform, namely: (i) a justice system that is “easier to use, …
Advance Toward "People's Court" In South Korea, Yong Chul Park
Advance Toward "People's Court" In South Korea, Yong Chul Park
Washington International Law Journal
Since 2008, criminal jury trials have been implemented in South Korea with the Citizen Participation in Criminal Trials Act. Under the Act, defendants have the option to choose a jury trial over a bench trial, although jury verdicts, as well as sentencing opinions rendered by a jury, are not binding on the court pursuant to Article 46(2) of the Act. While Korea’s adoption of a criminal jury trial was an ambitious move toward judicial reform, it has faced serious obstacles and has had limited influence over the Korean judicial system. In this Article, I use the five stages of planned …
East Asian Court Reform On Trial: Introduction To The Symposium, Setsuo Miyazawa
East Asian Court Reform On Trial: Introduction To The Symposium, Setsuo Miyazawa
Washington International Law Journal
No abstract provided.
Diversification Of The Japanese Judiciary, Daniel H. Foote
Diversification Of The Japanese Judiciary, Daniel H. Foote
Washington International Law Journal
Japan has a career judiciary. The Courts Act of 1947 provides that judges may be appointed from among prosecutors, attorneys, and law professors. In practice, however, the vast majority of judges come from a fourth category, “assistant judges,” who are appointed directly upon completion of the legal training program and typically serve through retirement. This continues a career tradition that dates back to the late nineteenth century. For nearly that long, the Japanese bar has been advocating that the career system should be abolished and that a substantial portion of the judiciary, if not all judges, should be drawn from …
Criminal Court Reform In Taiwan: A Case Of Fragmented Reform In A Not-Fragmented Court System, Kai-Ping Su
Criminal Court Reform In Taiwan: A Case Of Fragmented Reform In A Not-Fragmented Court System, Kai-Ping Su
Washington International Law Journal
This Article examines the character of Taiwan’s criminal court system and proposed court reforms. Taiwan’s criminal court is a not-fragmented system, distinct from the fragmented American criminal court. In fact, with hierarchical control in prosecutorial rulings and central administration of judicial decision-making, Taiwan’s criminal court system can be deemed a relatively centralized and bureaucratic organization. Given this context, when Taiwan’s criminal justice system disappoints the people, judges take the blame for the failures of the system. To resolve the serious problem of public distrust in judges and the court system, Taiwan’s government and the judicial authority make “responding to expectations …
Electoral Choices, Ethnic Accommodations, And The Consolidation Of Coalitions: Critiquing The Runoff Clause Of The Afghan Constitution, Mohammad Bashir Mobasher
Electoral Choices, Ethnic Accommodations, And The Consolidation Of Coalitions: Critiquing The Runoff Clause Of The Afghan Constitution, Mohammad Bashir Mobasher
Washington International Law Journal
Article sixty-one of the Afghan Constitution requires a candidate to win an absolute majority of votes to become the president. This constitutional rule comprises a runoff clause, which prescribes a second round of elections between the two front-runners should no candidate win over 50% of the votes in the first round. While this article agrees with the majority view of Afghan scholars and politicians who see the runoff clause as instrumental to developing trans-ethnic coalitions and governments, it distinguishes between the formation of alliances and their consolidation. Ultimately, this article posits that the runoff clause actually impedes the long-term success …
South Africa's Dilemma: Immunity Laws, International Obligations, And The Visit By Sudan's President Omar Al Bashir, Ntombizozuko Dyani-Mhango
South Africa's Dilemma: Immunity Laws, International Obligations, And The Visit By Sudan's President Omar Al Bashir, Ntombizozuko Dyani-Mhango
Washington International Law Journal
President Al Bashir has avoided the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) for seven years and has been able to travel to both states that are party to the Rome Statute and states that are not without any consequences. The existence of customary international law immunities makes it difficult for the ICC to be able to discharge its duties without the cooperation of states parties. The silence of the Security Council and its failure to clarify Security Council Resolution 1593 (2005) on whether the resolution indeed removes Sudan’s immunities in order for President Al Bashir to be arrested and surrendered to the …
Appellations And Adaptations: Geographical Indication, Viticulture, And Climate Change, Raz Barnea
Appellations And Adaptations: Geographical Indication, Viticulture, And Climate Change, Raz Barnea
Washington International Law Journal
Fine wine as we know it is a relatively modern innovation. But French wine culture presents a mythology of a stable and venerable tradition dating back centuries. Central to this mythology is the concept of terroir: the notion that the place—both the land and the people—defines the product. In the early Twentieth Century, France adopted laws giving local producers of wine exclusive rights to name the wine for the region of its origin. These regions, called appellations, have come to stand for the type and quality of wine produced within them—Champagne and Bordeaux are two well-known examples. The appellation regime …
The Fight For Green Economies: The Role Of Sustainable Development In Nations Facing Turmoil, Lucy K. Infeld
The Fight For Green Economies: The Role Of Sustainable Development In Nations Facing Turmoil, Lucy K. Infeld
Washington International Law Journal
The international focus on sustainable development, and lessening the damage to our environment, can be seen in numerous international conventions and the laws of many individual countries. While most countries around the world have attempted some action to lessen the impact of global warming, not all of these efforts have been successful. Notably, Syria created numerous legal reforms aimed at sustainable development, but has had difficulty implementing these reforms. Contrarily, Morocco, a country with similar climate and obstacles in implementing sustainable development has had great success. A question remains as to whether the lack of implementation of sustainable development practices …
The Evolution Of Antimonopoly Proceedings In Japan: Observations Of Third Party Standing To Sue In The Case Involving Jasrac, Yutaka Ishida
The Evolution Of Antimonopoly Proceedings In Japan: Observations Of Third Party Standing To Sue In The Case Involving Jasrac, Yutaka Ishida
Washington International Law Journal
Japan’s Antimonopoly Proceeding has repeatedly changed throughout the 21st century. Originally enacted as the Preliminary Review Procedure, the administrative process evolved into the Complaint Review Procedure from 2005 to 2013, before becoming the Direct Appeal to District Court Procedure in effect now. The proceedings allow the Japan Fair Trade Commission ("JFTC") to regulate the market and shield it from monopolistic behavior. The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers, and Publishers ("JASRAC") dominates the music copyright management service provider industry in Japan. The company's fee collection methods led the JFTC to issue it a cease and desist order under the …
Tokyo High Court, Judgment For Jasrac Case (2013) (Japan), Chengyu Shi
Tokyo High Court, Judgment For Jasrac Case (2013) (Japan), Chengyu Shi
Washington International Law Journal
The Tokyo High Court, Judgment of November 1, 2013 made a unique judgment in regard to standing to sue for a party who is not a direct addressee. Under the Japanese Administrative Case Litigation Act Article 9, Section 1, only “a person with legal interest” can bring an administrative lawsuit. The definition of “a person with legal interest” for revocation of a public order is an individual whose legal rights or interests are protected by law and are being infringed or threatened with unavoidable infringement. In addition to this definition, the Court considered not only the text of the law, …
The Criminal Mind: Neuroscientific Evidence As A Mitigating Factor In Sentencing In New South Wales, Australia, Ellie A. Page
The Criminal Mind: Neuroscientific Evidence As A Mitigating Factor In Sentencing In New South Wales, Australia, Ellie A. Page
Washington International Law Journal
“Neurolaw” is the emerging field of Law and Neuroscience that has the potential to lend insight into an offender’s mental state and influence criminal responsibility. In New South Wales, Australia, courts allow neuroscientific evidence of an offender’s cognitive impairment as a consideration in sentencing proceedings. In this comment, I discuss the discretionary nature of New South Wales’ sentencing regime and the limitations of how neuroscience may be utilized within that regime. Although neuroscientists can address the association of an offender’s cognitive impairment with the commission of a crime, they cannot identify, with certainty, a causal relationship. I analyze an original …
Globalization Of Constitutional Identity, Bui Ngoc Son
Globalization Of Constitutional Identity, Bui Ngoc Son
Washington International Law Journal
This Article extends Gary J. Jacobsohn’s theory of constitutional identity to better understand the dynamics of constitutional identity in the era of globalization. The extended theoretical framework features the relation of constitutional globalization to the change of national constitutional identity. Within that framework, this Article offers an original, empirical examination of the case of Vietnam and compares it with other socialist regimes (China, Laos, North Korea, and Cuba). It argues that globalization induces adaption to the socialist constitutional identity. The socialist constitutional identity is adapted by the pragmatic incorporation of fundamental ideas and principles of global constitutionalism. Consequently, the essence …
Can The Japanese Supreme Court Overcome The Political Question Hurdle?, Po Liang Chen, Jordan T. Wada
Can The Japanese Supreme Court Overcome The Political Question Hurdle?, Po Liang Chen, Jordan T. Wada
Washington International Law Journal
In 1947, a new Japanese Constitution (“Kenpō”) was born and its pacifist ideal was embodied in Article 9. Meanwhile, judicial review was transplanted, mainly from the United States (“U.S.”), into Japan. While the U.S. Supreme Court has narrowed its political question doctrine since Baker v. Carr in 1962, Japan developed its constitutional avoidance and political question doctrine in part to avoid deciding the merits of Article 9 disputes, including the legitimacy of Japan’s Self-Defense Force, the Security Treaty between the US and Japan, and the stationing of U.S. Forces in Japan. The Japanese Supreme Court (“SCJ”) adopted a deferential …
Chinese Patent Law's Statutory Damages Provision: The One Size That Fits None, Xiaowu Li, Don Wang
Chinese Patent Law's Statutory Damages Provision: The One Size That Fits None, Xiaowu Li, Don Wang
Washington International Law Journal
The concept of statutory damages was first introduced into the Chinese patent regime in 2001 as a “last-resort” approach for damages calculation in infringement cases. Curiously, in the following 15 years, this last-resort approach became so popular among the courts that it is essentially the exclusive approach today. This Article examines the legal and policy implications of the current statutory damages scheme, and concludes that the existence of statutory damages is fundamentally detrimental to the validity of the Chinese patent system. Therefore, we argue that the statutory damages provision in Article 65 of the Patent Law of China should be …
Entrenching The Minority: The Constitutional Court In Thailand's Political Conflict, Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang
Entrenching The Minority: The Constitutional Court In Thailand's Political Conflict, Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang
Washington International Law Journal
Since 2006, Thailand has witnessed an unprecedented surge of judicial activism from the Constitutional Court to scrutinize elected politicians in the name of the rule of law. Democracy, argued Constitutional Court judges, could only be consolidated if the rule of law was maintained. But examination of several high-profile constitutional cases suggested that the Constitutional Court was actually working on behalf of the powerful elite minority to obstruct the democratic process under the pretext of protecting the rule of law. This antagonistic position brewed resentment and violence which jeopardized the Constitutional Court’s legitimacy as a neutral political arbiter. The 2014 coup …
Pushing The Envelope: Application Of Guiding Cases In Chinese Courts And Development Of Case Law In China, Mo Zhang
Washington International Law Journal
The modern Chinese legal system has at least two notable features. First, bearing the civil law tradition, Chinese courts do not follow precedent. Second, under the people’s congress system, the Chinese judiciary has no power to make law. In recent years, however, the Supreme People’s Court of China began building a guiding case system in the Chinese judiciary. The application of guiding cases implicates (a) an expansion of the power of the Chinese judiciary into the field of law-making; and (b) development of case law in China. Chinese guiding cases differ from the common law cases in many aspects, and …
No Port, No Passport: Why Submerged States Can Have No Nationals, Heather Alexander, Jonathan Simon
No Port, No Passport: Why Submerged States Can Have No Nationals, Heather Alexander, Jonathan Simon
Washington International Law Journal
Territorial loss owing to sea level rise presents novel challenges to the international legal order. Nowhere is this clearer than in the case of small island states like the Maldives, Tuvalu and Kiribati, whose very existence is in jeopardy. In our recent article, Sinking Into Statelessness, we argue that the principle of presumption of continuity of state existence does not ensure that sinking states shall, or may, retain their legal statehood, because that principle cannot overrule the fact that territoriality is a constitutive feature of legal statehood. Here, we argue that even if, contra our previous conclusion, submerged states retain …
A Quest To Increase Women In Corporate Board Leadership: Comparing The Law In Norway And The U.S., Angela R. Foster
A Quest To Increase Women In Corporate Board Leadership: Comparing The Law In Norway And The U.S., Angela R. Foster
Washington International Law Journal
Gender imbalance is a persistent problem on corporate boards the world over. Women are severely underrepresented in these important leadership positions within public companies. Norway took a big swing at inequality in 2003 by enacting a quota law requiring at least 40% representation of each gender on boards of directors of public companies. Norway now has the highest percentage of women serving on corporate boards. Through Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, the United States enacted a diversity disclosure rule that requires public companies to divulge their policy regarding gender in board hiring. The disclosure rule has proven ineffectual, and at …
The End Of Constitutional Pacifism?, Yasuo Hasebe
The End Of Constitutional Pacifism?, Yasuo Hasebe
Washington International Law Journal
On September 19, 2015, the National Diet of Japan enacted a series of statutes which enable the government to exercise the right of collective self-defense. One of the statutes also enables the government to dispatch the Self-defense Forces to take charge of logistics for foreign military forces waging wars. This enactment symbolises Japan’s turn of course regarding its long-held stance on constitutional pacifism. Pacifism maintained under the Constitution of Japan was not pure pacifism rejecting any use of force. The successive governments held that the right of individual self-defense, in other words, the right to use force in order to …
Supreme People's Court Annual Report On Intellectual Property Cases (2015) (China), Xiaohan Lou, Mingyuan Song, Chao Yu
Supreme People's Court Annual Report On Intellectual Property Cases (2015) (China), Xiaohan Lou, Mingyuan Song, Chao Yu
Washington International Law Journal
The Supreme People’s Court of China began publishing its Annual Report on Intellectual Property Cases in 2008. The annual reports, published in April each year, summarize and review new intellectual property cases. This translation includes all 32 cases and 38 legal issues of the 2015 Annual Report. It addresses various areas of law related to intellectual property, including patent law, trademark law, copyright law, unfair competition law, antitrust law, new plant product patent law, and laws related to procedural and evidentiary issues in intellectual property cases. While China is not a common law country, these cases serve as guidelines for …
Article 9 In The Post-Sunakawa World: Continuity And Deterrence Within A Transforming Global Context, John O. Haley
Article 9 In The Post-Sunakawa World: Continuity And Deterrence Within A Transforming Global Context, John O. Haley
Washington International Law Journal
The 1959 Supreme Court Grand Bench (en banc) decision in Sakata v. Japan (the Sunakawa case) was the first Supreme Court decision on Article 9 and the constitutionality of Japan's defense policies. In the precedent-setting decision, all fifteen justices endorsed the view that under Article 9 Japan retained a fundamental right of self-defense and could enter into treaties for mutual security. In the absence of an apparent or "clear" violation, the courts, Sunakawa held, must defer to the judgment of the political branches on the issue of constitutionality. The Court thereby established the outer parameters for judicial review …
Contemplated Amendments To Japan's 1947 Constitution: A Return To Iye, Kokutai And The Meiji State, Carl F. Goodman
Contemplated Amendments To Japan's 1947 Constitution: A Return To Iye, Kokutai And The Meiji State, Carl F. Goodman
Washington International Law Journal
The post World War II American Occupation of Japan was a huge programmatic success. Its disarmament, repatriation, land reform, and health programs put a defeated Japan on the road to recuperation, while providing a military shield that enabled Japan to focus on recovery from the War and rebuilding the country and economy. Perhaps its most enduring legacy was its Enlightenment-based, American-drafted, rights-oriented Constitution of 1947 [hereinafter “the Constitution”]. Drafted in English, the Constitution was promulgated in Japanese, resulting in some substantive changes. Among the most important of these were changing the English word “people” into the Japanese “kokumin” …
Constitution And Narrative In The Age Of Crisis In Japanese Politics, Keigo Komamura
Constitution And Narrative In The Age Of Crisis In Japanese Politics, Keigo Komamura
Washington International Law Journal
The most significant political issue facing the legal world in Japan is the drive for constitutional revision led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). This paper situates the revisionist movement within the context of postwar Japanese politics before drawing on theoretical literature in critical legal studies to analyze the LDP’s draft constituion to reveal the magnitude of the proposed changes and to assess the risk they pose to the rule of law in Japan. The paper argues that the proposed draft constitution eschews the languages of the current constitution like “a universal principle of mankind”, …
Interpretation Of The Pacifist Article Of The Constitution By The Bureau Of Cabinet Legislation: A New Source Of Constitutional Law?, Hajime Yamamoto
Interpretation Of The Pacifist Article Of The Constitution By The Bureau Of Cabinet Legislation: A New Source Of Constitutional Law?, Hajime Yamamoto
Washington International Law Journal
This article analyzes recent change of Japanese governmental interpretation of Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan concerning the right of collective self-defense. This governmental interpretation of Article 9 has been elaborated by the Bureau of Cabinet Legislation. This article criticizes a recent critique of this situation by main stream Japanese constitutional scholars as “crisis of constitutionalism”.