BY-LAWS OF THE JAPANESE RESEARCH ASSOCIATION FOR CHINESE ECONOMY

CHAPTER 1: GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1:    This Association shall be known as the ‘Japanese Research Association for Chinese Economy’. 

Article 2:    The objectives of this Association shall be to conduct positive, historical, statistical, theoretical and policy-related research on the Chinese economy, and to contribute to the development of both Japan and China and their mutual friendship. 

Article 3:    In order to achieve the objectives stated in the preceding Article, the following projects shall be undertaken. 

1.    The holding of research and lecture meetings;
                2.   Publication of an official bulletin, the "Journal of Chinese Economic Studies”; and
                3.   Other projects suitable for meeting the above-mentioned objectives. 

CHAPTER 2: MEMBERSHIP AND GENERAL MEETINGS

Article 4:    There shall be three classes of members:

1.    Regular members: Individuals who endorse the objectives of the Association. 

2.    Supporting members: Organizations who have registered in order to support the Association’s projects. 

3.    Honorary members: Individuals who have been acknowledged at the general meeting as having provided meritorious service to the Association.  

Article 5:    Persons wishing to join the Association and who endorse its objectives must complete the designated admission application form and be approved by the Board of Directors. 

Article 6:    Members are eligible to receive the Association’s distributed publications and may attend the annual meeting, research and lecture meetings. 

Article 7:    Members must pay the annual fees as detailed separately.  Members accepted for admission must pay the full annual fee even if joining during the term. 

Article 8:    An annual general meeting shall be held once every year.  However, the President may call a special general meeting if deemed necessary.  The administration of the Association and other important matters will be determined at these meetings. 

Article 9     Proceedings of the general meeting shall be determined by the majority of members in attendance at the meeting. 

Article 10:  Membership shall be forfeited if either of the following occurs: 

1. A member allows fees to fall in arrears for 3 consecutive years. 

2. The Board of Directors concedes that a member has conspicuously damaged the honor and authority of the Association. 

CHAPTER 3: OFFICERS AND SECRETARIES

Article 11:  The Association shall have the following officers:

One President, two Vice-Presidents, several Directors and two Account Auditors. 

Article 12:  The Directors and Account Auditors shall be elected from amongst the regular members at the general meeting.  The President and Vice-Presidents shall be decided by mutual election of the Directors. 

Article 13:  The President shall coordinate the operation of the Association on its behalf.  The Vice-Presidents shall assist the President in his/her duties.  Other duties of the Association shall be divided among the Directors, who shall be responsible for its administration.  The Account Auditors inspect the status of the Association’s accounts. 

Article 14:  The term of office for Officers shall be two years.  However, Officers may still be eligible for reappointment following expiry of the said term. 

CHAPTER 4: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Article 15:     The Board of Directors shall consist of all appointed Officers excepting the Account Auditors, and shall conduct the business of the Association. 

Article 16:     The President shall call upon the Board of Directors and act as its Chairperson. 

Article 17      The Board of Directors shall be effectuated by the attendance of a majority of its constituents and its proceedings shall be determined by the majority of these attendees. 

Article 18:     The Board of Directors shall be responsible for organizing the steering committee for the annual meeting, the editorial board for the journal, and any other committees deemed necessary.  Also, the board may appoint Secretaries to assist it in excuting/performing its duties. 

CHAPTER 5: Accounts

Article 19      The financial year of the Association shall be from April 1 through March 31 of the following year. 

Article 20      The Board of Directors must report the preceding year’s financial statements, as audited by the Account Auditors, at the general meeting where approval must be obtained. 

CHAPTER 6 Publication and distribution of the bulletin

Article 21     The Association will issue an official bulletin, the ‘Journal of Chinese Economic Studies’, as a medium for members to present their research. This journal will be edited by the editorial board and distributed to members. The provisions for submitting contributions are detailed separately. 

CHAPTER 7  MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Article 22     The Association by-laws may be amended with the consent of at least two-thirds of members in attendance at the general meeting. 

SUPPLEMENTARY PROVISIONS

1. The secretariat of the Association shall be established in the office of Dr. Luo Huanzhen at the Department of Economics, Tokyo Keizai University. 

2. Annual fees will be set at \8,000 for regular members and \20,000 for supporting member organizations.  Honorary members are exempt from paying annual fees. 

3. Regular members who are students can receive a \4,000 reduction in annual fees by submitting their student registration certificate of the relevant academic year. 

4. Regular members who reside overseas for six consecutive months of the year or more may be exempted from paying annual fees for that year if they wish, provided the Board of Directors gives its consent.  However, periodicals will not be distributed in these cases. 

5. These Association by-laws shall come into force from June 18, 2005. Clauses 2 and 3 of Supplementary provisions become effective on April 1, 2006.