Legal Reform in Taiwan under Japanese Colonial Rule, 1895-1945: The Reception of Western Law

Tay-sheng Wang

University of Washington Press, Dec 1, 2014 - History - 298 pages

Taiwan’s modern legal system--quite different from those of both traditional China and the People’s Republic--has evolved since the advent of Japanese rule in 1895. Japan has gradually adopted Western law during the 19th-century and when it occupied Taiwan--a frontier society composed of Han Chinese settlers--its codes were instituted for the purpose of rapidly assimilating the Taiwanese people into Japanese society.

Tay-sheng Wang’s comprehensive study lays a solid foundation for future analyses of Taiwanese law. It documents how Western traditions influenced the formation of Taiwan’s modern legal structure through the conduit of Japanese colonial rule and demonstrates the extent to which legal concepts diverged from the Chinese legal tradition and moved toward Western law.

Contents

• Introduction: 3
• 1 Background of Legal Reform: 12
• 2 Reception of Western Law in Colonial Legislation: 36
• 3 Modern Judiciary in the Colony: 63
• 4 Criminal Justice and Changing Society: 105
• 5 Westernization of Civil Justice: 140
• 6 Appraisal and Legacy: 170
• Conclusion: 184
• Appendix A Development of Taiwanese Law: 189
• Appendix B The Law Relating to Laws and Ordinances to Be Enforced in Taiwan: 192
• Appendix C The Civil Commercial and Criminal Law: 195
• Appendix D The Bandit Punishment Law: 196
• Glossary: 199
• Abbreviations: 205
• Notes: 207
• Bibliography: 259
• Index: 277

About the author

Tay-sheng Wang is professor of law at National Taiwan University.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Legal Reform in Taiwan under Japanese Colonial Rule, 1895-1945: The Reception of Western Law; Asian Law Series
• Author: Tay-sheng Wang
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: University of Washington Press, 2014
• ISBN: 0295803886, 9780295803883
• Length: 298 pages
• Subjects: History / Asia / General; Law / Legal History; Social Science / Minority Studies