Japan law bars North Korean ships as abduction dispute continues News
Japan law bars North Korean ships as abduction dispute continues

[JURIST] New Japanese compulsory insurance rules [Japanese Transport Ministry backgrounder] requiring all foreign ships over 100 tons entering Japanese ports to be insured against oil spills, losses and other damages went into effect Tuesday, effectively barring most North Korean ships. The requirements are seen as a disguised move against direct trade with North Korea; Japan has been considering sanctions [JURIST report] against Pyongyang over a long-running dispute about North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and '80s. Japanese officials have acknowledged that the rules were drawn up with its neighbor in mind. The Japan Times has local coverage.

THIS DAY @ LAW

International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism

November 9 is the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism [UNITED factsheet]. On November 9, 1924, American gay activist Henry Gerber and several associates formed the Society for Human Rights, the first gay rights organization in the United States. The Society received a charter from the State of Illinois in December but was disbanded in July 1925 after a police raid which led to Gerber's arrest and trial (albeit not conviction). Pay a virtual visit to Henry Gerber House, now a registered Chicago landmark.

Supreme Court strikes down Massachusetts anti-draft law

On November 9, 1970, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 in Massachusetts v. Laird not to hear the case of the state's anti-draft law. Massachusetts had passed a law, which allowed its citizens to decline to fight in any undeclared war, even if the person was drafted. The law was passed in opposition to the draft and the war in Vietnam. The First Circuit found the war constitutional and thus struck down the law.