This book is the second volume of a planned trilogy on legal protection of citizens' rights against the state in East and Southeast Asia. The first volume was published in 1997, under the title of Comparative Studies on the Judicial Review System in East and Southeast Asia. The third book will deal with the subject of due process of law with respect to administrative decision-making in these areas. This second volume examines the historical development and present function of governmental liability in Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Both theoretical and practical problems of governmental liability are analyzed through comparative perspectives. As German and Dutch law have a strong influence in East and Southeast Asian countries, the governmental liability system in these two countries is also discussed. During the process of modernizing the economy and legal systems, especially with the globalization of the economy and the internationalization of Western law, it is inevitable for countries in East and Southeast Asia to introduce a governmental compensation system. However, because of a lack of experience of civil society and the tradition of the rule of law, of shortage of finance, and of different viewpoints on human rights, the introduced and planned governmental compensation systems in East and Southeast Asia could not be expected to function in the same way as those in Western countries. This book is based on the assumption that it is better to prevent damage from happening than compensating for it with money.

The Asian Yearbook of International Law is a major refereed publication dedicated to international law issues as seen primarily from an Asian perspective. This is the first publication of its kind edited by a team of leading international law scholars from across Asia. The Asian Yearbook of International Law provides a forum for the publication of articles in the field of international law, and other Asian international law topics, written by experts from the region and elsewhere. Its aim is twofold: to promote international law in Asia, and to provide an intellectual platform for the discussion and dissemination of Asian views and practices on contemporary international legal issues. As a rule, each volume of the Asian Yearbook normally contains articles; notes; a section on State practice; an overview of the participation of Asian countries in multilateral treaties; a chronicle of events and incidents; surveys of the activities of international organizations which have special relevance to Asia, such as a survey of the activities of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee; and book review, bibliography and documents sections.

In 1991 Indonesia introduced a system of administrative courts that was to contribute to establishing the rule of law in Indonesia and to provide recourse for citizens against unlawful administrative behaviour. This book evaluates the performance of the administrative court system. It explains why the courts were established in spite of the Indonesian state's authoritarian nature, and why and to what extent the system is a Dutch legal transplant. It analyses the jurisdictionary powers of the courts and how the courts have used them. It then proceeds to explain the unbalanced nature of the record presented, by analysing factors inside and outside the administrative court organisation which influence its performance. These include budgetary deficits, lack of training opportunities, career manipulation, corruption, lack of government support, and many other non-legal issues. Finally, the author provides a number of recommendations for change, many of which may also be of use to other developing countries.

International investment law is one of fastest-growing areas of international law, but it is plagued by the vagueness of many investors' rights and unpredictable investment tribunal decisions. This books analyses international investment law through the lens of comparative public law to clarify investment treaty obligations and arbitral procedure.

With articles by Harry Duintjer Tebbens, David Goddard, Christoph Bernasconi, Bertrand Ancel and Frank Gerhard, Private International Law Issues in World War II Era Litigation, national reports from Germany and news from The Hague as well as texts, materials and recent developments.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this very useful analysis of constitutional law in Japan provides essential information on the country’s sources of constitutional law, its form of government, and its administrative structure. Lawyers who handle transnational matters will appreciate the clarifications of particular terminology and its application. Throughout the book, the treatment emphasizes the specific points at which constitutional law affects the interpretation of legal rules and procedure. Thorough coverage by a local expert fully describes the political system, the historical background, the role of treaties, legislation, jurisprudence, and administrative regulations. The discussion of the form and structure of government outlines its legal status, the jurisdiction and workings of the central state organs, the subdivisions of the state, its decentralized authorities, and concepts of citizenship. Special issues include the legal position of aliens, foreign relations, taxing and spending powers, emergency laws, the power of the military, and the constitutional relationship between church and state. Details are presented in such a way that readers who are unfamiliar with specific terms and concepts in varying contexts will fully grasp their meaning and significance. Its succinct yet scholarly nature, as well as the practical quality of the information it provides, make this book a valuable time-saving tool for both practising and academic jurists. Lawyers representing parties with interests in Japan will welcome this guide, and academics and researchers will appreciate its value in the study of comparative constitutional law.

This book presents a unique perspective on the development and status quo of judicial review in East and Southeast Asia. In particular, it answers the questions of whether the system of judicial review of administrative action functions in East and Southeast Asian countries in the same way as in Western countries, and whether this system functions in the same way in countries that adopt the principle of concentration of powers and the principle of separation of powers. Together with papers on judicial review in the Netherlands and Germany, and references to English law, the legal systems discussed constitute a heterogeneous group of developed and developing economies, continental and Anglo-Saxon systems of law and capitalist and socialist legal orders. The research and comparisons presented here form an invaluable resource for any scholar and lawyer interested in contemporary Asian law, or in the many facets of comparative administrative law.

Understanding and managing inter-religious relations, particularly between Muslims and Christians, presents a challenge for states around the world. This book investigates legal disputes between religious communities in the world’s largest majority-Muslim, democratic country, Indonesia. It considers how the interaction between state and religion has influenced relations between religious communities in the transition to democracy. The book presents original case studies based on empirical field research of court disputes in West Java, a majority-Muslim province with a history of radical Islam. These include criminal court cases, as well as cases of judicial review, relating to disputes concerning religious education, permits for religious buildings and the crime of blasphemy. The book argues that the democratic law reform process has been influenced by radical Islamists because of the politicization of religion under democracy and the persistence of fears of Christianization. It finds that disputes have been localized through the decentralization of power and exacerbated by the central government’s ambivalent attitude towards radical Islamists who disregard the rule of law. Examining the challenge facing governments to accommodate minorities and manage religious pluralism, the book furthers understanding of state-religion relations in the Muslim world. This accessible and engaging book is of interest to students and scholars of law and society in Southeast Asia, was well as Islam and the state, and the legal regulation of religious diversity.

This book adopts Durkheim’s legal perspective to treat law as a symbol of social solidarities to examine Chinese society. The work analyzes changes in the nature of social solidarity from observing changes in laws, thus drawing together western socio-legal theory and distinctive Chinese conditions. It draws on Durkheim’s theoretical framework and methodology to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the role of law using theories of others such as Habermas and by taking into account the discussion of power and the conflicts of interests in analyzing key social features during transition. The analysis of social anomie in terms of the changes of juridical rules as well as the changes in the nature of social solidarity provides an inspiring perspective to look into contemporary social problems. The book will be essential reading for researchers and academics working in the areas of socio-legal studies, legal theory and law and society in China.