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Full-Text Articles in Law
The Rule Of Law And Commercial Litigation In Myanmar, Alec Christie
The Rule Of Law And Commercial Litigation In Myanmar, Alec Christie
Washington International Law Journal
After nearly thirty years of self imposed isolation, Myanmar has reemerged as a significant potential destination for foreign investment. One of the key attractions of Myanmar as a destination for foreign investment is its legal system and historical commitment to the rule of law. With ASEAN membership and increasing levels of foreign investment in Myanmar, use of its legal system by foreign investors and their counsel has grown. The aim of this article is to outline, for both investors and legal professionals in other countries throughout the region, Myanmar's legal system and its practical operation in the area of commercial …
Law On Communications Interception During Criminal Investigations, Yohei Suda
Law On Communications Interception During Criminal Investigations, Yohei Suda
Washington International Law Journal
Whereas organized crime severely damages the peace and health of society, and increasingly it is extremely difficult to clarify the truth in criminal investigations without intercepting the telephone communications or other telecommunications of criminals in serious crimes committed by conspiracy, such as organized murder and unlawful trade of drugs or firearms, the purpose of this law is to set forth the requirements, procedures, and other matters that are relevant to the invasive action of intercepting telecommunications, as provided in the Code of Criminal Procedure (Law No. 131, 1948), and are essential for dealing appropriately with such crimes, in such a …
The Japanese Law On Communications Interception During Criminal Investigatons: Translator's Introduction, Yohei Suda
The Japanese Law On Communications Interception During Criminal Investigatons: Translator's Introduction, Yohei Suda
Washington International Law Journal
Japan enacted the Law on Communications Interception During Criminal Investigations last year to help control organized crime. The legislation is, in part, a reaction to domestic and international pressure that grew from recent, well-publicized crimes such as the Aur Shinrikyo attack on a Tokyo subway. The Interception Law is a powerful tool for Japanese law enforcement, however the question of whether the Interception Law violates Japan's constitutional rights to privacy and secrecy of communication has not yet been resolved.
Microfinance And Poverty Alleviation: Lessons From Indonesia's Village Banking System, Yoko Miyashita
Microfinance And Poverty Alleviation: Lessons From Indonesia's Village Banking System, Yoko Miyashita
Washington International Law Journal
Indonesia needs an aggressive poverty reduction strategy to counter the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which has propelled millions of its citizens into poverty. Microfinance is a proven method of reducing poverty and has been successfully used within Indonesia in government-supported programs. In addition to continuing its state-run microfinance programs, Indonesia should support increased non-governmental organization ("NGO") participation in microfinance programs by permitting NGOs to conduct the full range of activities of a state-run microfinance program. Such a move would help to ensure that microfinance services reach people with the least access to the formal financial sector.
Korean Attitues Towards Law, Chan Jin Kim
Korean Attitues Towards Law, Chan Jin Kim
Washington International Law Journal
Transformation is the key word to explain the Korean attitudes towards law. In the early 1950's, nation building gave impetus to economic growth and allowed Korea to quickly pass through the preliminary stages of development. Industrialization, urbanization and eventual emigration of the populace have, in many senses, displaced the traditional social value system based on Confucianism. However, a new value system has yet to take hold. The lack of such guidelines has left Koreans in a state of confusion in a world that continues to change. The Korean Constitution clearly mandates equal protection under the laws for all Koreans. However, …
One Country, Three Systems? Judicial Review In Macau After Ng Ka Lling, Judith R. Krebs
One Country, Three Systems? Judicial Review In Macau After Ng Ka Lling, Judith R. Krebs
Washington International Law Journal
The Ng Ka Ling decision by the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeals and its reversal by the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, raise serious concerns regarding the adequacy of judicial review and the protection of the rule of law in the new special administrative regions under China's "One Country, Two Systems" approach. Judicial review lies at the forefront of this controversy because it largely delineates the contours of local autonomy and the extent to which those who experience legal violations will have remedies. This Comment explores the roots of the conflict in Hong Kong and examines whether …
Implementation Of 30-Year Land Use Rights For Farmers Under China's 1998 Land Management Law: An Analysis And Recommendations Based On A 17 Province Survey, Roy Prosterman, Brian Schwarzwalder, Ye Jianping
Implementation Of 30-Year Land Use Rights For Farmers Under China's 1998 Land Management Law: An Analysis And Recommendations Based On A 17 Province Survey, Roy Prosterman, Brian Schwarzwalder, Ye Jianping
Washington International Law Journal
Recent legal and policy measures demonstrate the commitment of China's central leadership to the development and implementation of a legal framework providing long-term, secure land tenure to its nearly 800 million farmers. The results of a 17 province, 1,621 household survey conducted in August 1999 show that considerable progress has already been made toward this goal. However, a number of key issues related to both the implementation of existing legal rules and the development of additional legislation addressing rural land rights must be addressed for the process to be complete.
The Battle Against Software Piracy: Software Copyright Protection In The Philippines, Grace P. Nerona
The Battle Against Software Piracy: Software Copyright Protection In The Philippines, Grace P. Nerona
Washington International Law Journal
The Philippines enacted the Intellectual Property Code ("IPC") on June 6, 1997 to comply with its World Trade Organization ("WTO") treaty obligations and to respond to U.S. concerns regarding intellectual property protection in the Philippines. The IPC streamlines administrative procedures, increases criminal penalties for copyright infringement, and provides copyright protection for computer software. Despite the enactment of the IPC, the United States has kept the Philippines on its Special 301 "Watch List" of intellectual property rights violators. The United States maintains that the level of intellectual property protection in the Philippines is inadequate and ineffective, particularly in the areas of …
Domestic Technological Innovation: An Approach To Solving South Korea's Labor Problems, Jeffrey F. Dickerman
Domestic Technological Innovation: An Approach To Solving South Korea's Labor Problems, Jeffrey F. Dickerman
Washington International Law Journal
When Korea' became a democracy in 1987, Korea's militant labor movement erupted into a series of nationwide protests and explosive labor strikes. As a consequence, Korea's new democratic government enacted progressive labor laws aimed at increasing wages and improving working conditions for laborers. However, these new progressive labor laws lowered the productivity of businesses. Consequently, many Korean goods could no longer compete in the global market and Korean businesses faced bankruptcy. Tension now exists between Korean businesses and workers as each side attempts to regulate the Korean workweek. The competing interests between business and workers can be balanced by domestic …
Choosing A Mechanism For Land Redistribution In The Philippines, Andre Sawchenko
Choosing A Mechanism For Land Redistribution In The Philippines, Andre Sawchenko
Washington International Law Journal
The Philippines' Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program needs changes because it is not efficiently achieving social justice for the rural poor in the present, nor is it establishing a framework for equitable economic growth in the future. A land reform program in the Philippines can accomplish its objectives only to the extent that it redistributes land. Market assisted land reform, the recently developed land reform model being championed by the World Bank, provides little hope for the quick and extensive redistribution of land needed in the Philippines. The best way for the Philippine government to modify its land reform program is …
Judicial Reform In China: New Regulations For A Lay Assessor System, Di Jiang
Judicial Reform In China: New Regulations For A Lay Assessor System, Di Jiang
Washington International Law Journal
After a long history of the "rule of social rituals" and the "rule under man," China is reforming its legal structures, trying to achieve the rule of law. To realize this goal, China needs a more effective judicial deliberative body. To help define a system that is compatible with China's practical needs and promotes its social modernization, this Article examines the western jury and assessor systems and compares them to China's lay assessor system.
Primus Inter Pares: Is The Singapore Judiciary First Among Equals?, Karen Blőchlinger
Primus Inter Pares: Is The Singapore Judiciary First Among Equals?, Karen Blőchlinger
Washington International Law Journal
Chief Justice Yong Pung How has implemented many changes in the Singapore judicial system since his appointment to the post in 1990. The reforms have concentrated on active case management, providing mediation as an alternative mechanism to resolve disputes, and implementing information technology in the courtroom. One of the results of these reforms is that the backlog of cases has been eliminated and the judicial system has become dramatically more efficient. However, an increased efficiency in judicial administration cannot be justified if it is attained at the expense of restricting access to justice. This Comment reviews the judicial reforms in …
The Constitutional Crisis In Hong Kong—Is It Over?, Lin Feng
The Constitutional Crisis In Hong Kong—Is It Over?, Lin Feng
Washington International Law Journal
The judgment of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal ("CFA") in the right of abode case has created several constitutional issues, three of which will be addressed in this paper. They are: (1) whether the CFA has the authority to review Chinese legislation; (2) whether the National People's Congress Standing Committee ("NPCSC") should interpret or amend the Basic Law; and (3) whether an original legislative intent approach or a purposive approach should be adopted for the interpretation of the Basic Law. Prompt resolution of these issues is necessary to resolve constitutional uncertainty in Hong Kong. Successful resolution of these …
Building The Korean Film Industry's Competitiveness: Abolish The Screen Quota And Subsidize The Film Industry, Carolyn Hyun-Kyung Kim
Building The Korean Film Industry's Competitiveness: Abolish The Screen Quota And Subsidize The Film Industry, Carolyn Hyun-Kyung Kim
Washington International Law Journal
Under Korean law, local theaters in Korea must show Korean films for at least 146 days each year. In 1998, this screen quota became the subject of heated debate between the United States and the Korean film industry when the United States demanded that Korea abolish it. The United States believes the quota violates free trade principles, while the Korean film industry argues that cultural products such as films cannot be equated with other commercial commodities. Cultural identities must be protected because a diversified global culture benefits all. Domestic film industries should be protected because films constitute a vehicle for …
The Wto Panel Decision On Australia's Salmon Import Guidelines: Evidence That The Sps Agreement Can Effectively Protect Human Health Interests, Matthew D. Taylor
The Wto Panel Decision On Australia's Salmon Import Guidelines: Evidence That The Sps Agreement Can Effectively Protect Human Health Interests, Matthew D. Taylor
Washington International Law Journal
On July 19, 1999, Australia lifted its ban on salmon imports and announced new salmon import guidelines. The new guidelines were promulgated in response to a World Trade Organization ("WTO") Appellate Body determination that the import ban violated the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures ("SPS Agreement"). Canada challenged Australia's new import guidelines, alleging that the new guidelines also violate the SPS Agreement. The WTO dispute settlement panel held that, with the exception of only one provision, Australia's new salmon import guidelines are based on appropriate scientific risk analyses and are now in line with comparable import …
A Silent Emergency Persists: The Limited Efficacy Of U.S. Investment Sanctions On Burma, Anna E. Johansson
A Silent Emergency Persists: The Limited Efficacy Of U.S. Investment Sanctions On Burma, Anna E. Johansson
Washington International Law Journal
For the past three decades, the repressive military junta that has ruled Burma has engaged in torture, extra-judicial killings, compulsory labor, and arbitrary arrests and detentions. Economic growth and human development in Burma have stagnated. In response to human rights abuses and uninhibited drug production and trafficking, the United States imposed investment sanctions on Burma in 1997. However, Burma's regional alliances and illicit profits from drugs have filled any vacuum left by withdrawal of U.S. investments and have neutralized the effect of the sanctions. Therefore, the United States needs to rethink its current sanctions scheme. The United States should consider …
Punishment And Preventing Pollution In Japan: Is American-Style Criminal Enforcement The Solution?, Robert G. Kondrat
Punishment And Preventing Pollution In Japan: Is American-Style Criminal Enforcement The Solution?, Robert G. Kondrat
Washington International Law Journal
Both Japan and the United States face the ongoing threat of intentional and preventable pollution. From 1970 until the mid-1980s, Japan utilized its environmental crime laws to punish and prevent intentional and preventable acts of pollution. After this period, however, the number of environmental crime arrests and prosecutions in Japan declined. In contrast, since the 1980s, the United States has continued to expand the number of prosecutors and investigators dedicated to the enforcement of environmental crime laws. These divergent trends can be explained by the different pollution histories, enforcement personnel structures, regulatory strategies, and case law of the two countries. …
The U.S. Push For Worldwide Patent Protection For Drugs Meets The Aids Crisis In Thailand: A Devastating Collision, Rosemary Sweeney
The U.S. Push For Worldwide Patent Protection For Drugs Meets The Aids Crisis In Thailand: A Devastating Collision, Rosemary Sweeney
Washington International Law Journal
In response to pressure from the United States, Thailand amended its Patent Act in 1992 and 1999 to provide patent protection for drugs and to limit its control on the pricing, importation, and compulsory licensing of patented drugs. These amendments and, perhaps even more importantly, the threat of U.S. trade sanctions, will probably ensure continued high prices and thus restricted access to new, patented Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ("AIDS") drugs in Thailand. These drugs have dramatically changed the length and quality of life of patients infected with Human Immunodeficieny Virus ("HIV") in developed countries. About one million Thais are infected …
Japan's Laws On Dual Nationality In The Context Of A Globalized World, Mie Murazumi
Japan's Laws On Dual Nationality In The Context Of A Globalized World, Mie Murazumi
Washington International Law Journal
Japan's Nationality Law has evolved into a law that tends to prevent or eliminate dual nationality. This characteristic conforms with the traditional view that every country should take steps to avoid situations of dual nationality. It also fits in with Japan's cultural homogeneity and long-developed sense of national loyalty. For over a century, the world viewed dual nationality as an evil to be avoided because of conflict of loyalty problems and difficulties with diplomatic protection. However, the postwar globalization process has produced a desire in many people to have dual nationality as a part of their global identity. Fewer conflicts …
Watching The Watchdog: China's State Compensation Law As A Remedy For Procuratorial Misconduct, Keith Hand
Watching The Watchdog: China's State Compensation Law As A Remedy For Procuratorial Misconduct, Keith Hand
Washington International Law Journal
In 1994, China enacted a comprehensive State Compensation Law ("SCL"). The SCL provides individuals and legal entities with the right to compensation in a limited number of situations in which they are harmed by illegal government acts. The purpose of the law is twofold: (1) to guarantee the rights of individuals and legal entities to obtain compensation and (2) to encourage state officials to exercise their powers lawfully. In theory, the SCL provides an important check on the conduct of procurators and other government officials. China's procurators serve dual roles as criminal prosecutors and as supervisors of the legal process. …
The Japanese Firearm And Sword Possession Control Law: Translator's Introduction, Mark Alleman
The Japanese Firearm And Sword Possession Control Law: Translator's Introduction, Mark Alleman
Washington International Law Journal
Japan's Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law was amended in 1993 and again in 1995, partially in response to changing firearms confiscation demographics. In the past, most firearms were confiscated from members of organized crime groups, and the Japanese viewed firearms largely as a danger related to organized crime. However, confiscation statistics suggest that firearms are moving into the hands of the general population, increasing the risk firearms pose to public safety in Japan. In response to this trend, Japan amended the Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law in 1993 and 1995 by adding add new crimes, more severe punishments, …
Firearm And Sword Possession Control Law, Mark Alleman
Firearm And Sword Possession Control Law, Mark Alleman
Washington International Law Journal
This Law sets forth safety regulations necessary for the prevention of harm related to the possession and use of firearms and swords.
One Country, Two (Taxation) Sytems: A Treaty In All But Name, Andrew Halkyard
One Country, Two (Taxation) Sytems: A Treaty In All But Name, Andrew Halkyard
Washington International Law Journal
It came as no small surprise when it was announced in February 1998 that the Chinese mainland ("the Mainland") and Hong Kong had agreed to enter into an arrangement for the avoidance of double taxation of income. Although concerns of double taxation between the Mainland and Hong Kong tended to be more academic than practical, this arrangement helps establish a firm foundation for future co-operation by the Mainland and Hong Kong on trade and other economic matters. From a Hong Kong taxation perspective, it is one of the most significant developments to have occurred for a very long time. From …
The Proposed Revisions To Japan's Juvenile Law: If Punishment Is Their Answer, They Are Asking The Wrong Question, Jessica Hardung
The Proposed Revisions To Japan's Juvenile Law: If Punishment Is Their Answer, They Are Asking The Wrong Question, Jessica Hardung
Washington International Law Journal
The Juvenile Law in Japan turned fifty years old on January 1, 1999. Japan enjoys one of the lowest overall crime rates of any industrialized nation, but its juvenile crime rate is on the rise. The rise in juvenile crime has prompted Japanese legislators to propose changes to the Juvenile Law. This Comment argues that the majority of the proposed revisions, which do not focus on rehabilitation, should not be adopted and that social controls already in place are sufficient to combat any increase in juvenile delinquency. Japanese culture has unique characteristics that contribute to its low crime rate. In …
Antitrust In Japan: The Original Intent, Harry First
Antitrust In Japan: The Original Intent, Harry First
Washington International Law Journal
This Article examines the "original intent" of those involved in drafting Japan's Antimonopoly Act, passed in 1947. Japanese sources generally assume this legislation to be pure American invention, a foreign transplant that the Japanese did not understand and that was improperly imposed on a country in which antitrust was, and continues to be, irrelevant. Drawing on original Occupation documents, however, this Article shows that negotiators from Japan's government understood perfectly well what the legislation was about. More than understanding, the government of Japan in fact drafted the statute that was finally enacted, and its provisions reflect the success Japan's negotiators …