East Asia Young Scholars Association

Perspectives:
Continuing to Repair the Killing Machine: A Commentary on Taiwan’s Constitutional Court Judgment 113-Hsien-Pan-8 (2024)

Lin Tzu-wei
Legal Director, Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP); J.S.D., National Chengchi University

Taiwan’s Constitutional Court heard oral arguments on the constitutionality of the death penalty in April. After five months of deliberation, on September 20, the Court pronounced the Judgment 113-Hsien-Pan-8 hereafter referred to as “Judgment No. 8”). Despite the issues raised during the hearing, the ruling refrained from deciding on the constitutionality of the death penalty as a legal penalty. The decision can only be described as a major disappointment—a big build-up but a weak payoff.

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Proposing a Theoretical Framework for Queer Human Rights: Insights from an Ongoing Study on Thai University Discourse

Timethius J. Terrell
Visiting Scholar, Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University

This article examines the role that linguistic differences and institutional discourse play in the application of international human rights principles—especially as they apply to LGBTQ+ empowerment in colleges/universities. Despite many examples of higher education institutions’ power to harness their innovative power to establish inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ students, such support resources are typically underdeveloped or absent within the Thai context, limiting their potential to impact broader society. To investigate underlying causes for this trend, my team employs Preston and Hoffman (2015)’s critical framework on Traditionally Heterogendered Institutions (THIs). In this article, I present our preliminary findings illustrating the roles that cultural norms of tolerance, institutional messaging, and linguistic conflations play in limiting the application of human rights frameworks in Thai institutions. I conclude by proposing opportunities to enhance the application of said frameworks, such as the Yogyakarta Principles and the Sustainable Development Goals, by using the AI-driven analytical methods being refined in this ongoing study.

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DM For Details:How Young LGBT Activist Groups use X to Create Community

Sophia Isaacson
American University and Ritsumeikan University, “Sakura Scholar” Alum
Logan Day
American University and Ritsumeikan University, “Sakura Scholar” Alum

The authors focus on young Japanese LGBT activists to highlight the new, digital kinds of tools used and strategies pursued to create change. Through a survey and selective sampling of X posts by six queer Kansai-based activist groups, the authors examined habits based on six critical factors: youth, queer (LGBT), activism, information sharing, praxis, and Kansai. While preliminary, the results suggest a deeply interconnected and evolving online ecosystem. Contrary to expectations, the groups studied shied away from strategies that would maximize views, preferring to create boundaries around interaction. Moreover, groups utilized X as a pathway to alternative platforms and participation, not as an end stop resource. Community events and education were the biggest focus for groups, suggesting a shift towards hyperlocal activism over grand coalition-building. In sum, young LGBT activists are certainly present and aware of legal developments, but the goal of creating safe community spaces and region communities is the priority.

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The Temporality of Identity and Narrative in Schoolgirl Yuri Mangas

Khai Quoc BUI, School of International Relations, Tokyo International University

Recently, there has been a surge in depictions of female same-sex romance in Japanese popular entertainment, which remains relatively understudied. This paper seeks to contribute to the English-language academic literature on this trend through analysing the temporal structure of various schoolgirl yuri mangas, arguably the most important template in the genre. To do so, the paper adopts a narratological approach inspired by Koselleck’s theory of history to examine two key aspects of schoolgirl yuri manga stories: the protagonists’ sexuality and the narrative course of their relationships. This paper argues that mainstream schoolgirl yuri mangas have constructed their protagonist’s sexual identity as ‘temporary’ lesbians, meaning that they are attracted to only one woman for a limited time. Furthermore, the course of their romantic relationships is invariably cyclical, neither progressing towards definite confessions nor ending in breakup until the very end of the story. However, such constructions have been challenged by yuri mangas outside the mainstream, which have mounted powerful critiques of this cyclical temporal paradigm either through taking its premises to extreme conclusions or through constructing entirely new temporal paradigm featuring definite progress.

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Mongolia’s Diplomacy and Development: Small Power Balancing in a Divided World

Monica WELLER, Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

Mongolia occupies a unique position as North Asia’s only democratic state. However, this is a precarious position, not only facing potential repercussions from its immediate neighbors of Russia and China but from internal issues, particularly government corruption. This article addresses the questions of how Mongolia maintains democracy amidst geopolitical pressures and internal stressors, as well as the impacts these have on democratic institutions through a series of case study analyses and expert interviews. Due to Mongolia’s historic domestic support of democracy, strong civil society, and the strategic geopolitical benefits of maintaining democracy, this article argues that Mongolia will continue to balance its development and relations with the larger international world through democratic institutions, despite the persistence of corruption within governance structures.

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