This new book in the Constitutionalism in Asia series considers the idea of origins, and of change and continuity in terms of 'constitution-making', which is an on-going process in the Northeast Asian states.

The book examines the drafting, nature, core values, and roles of the first modern constitutions during the founding of the 8 modern states/territories in Northeast Asia: China (1949), Taiwan (1947), Hong Kong SAR (1997), Macau SAR (1999), Japan (1889), North Korea (1948 and 1972), South Korea (1948), and Mongolia (1924).

The collection provides:
- an exploratory description of the process and substantive inputs in the making of the first constitutions of these nations/territories;
- analysis of the internal and external (including intra-regional) forces surrounding the making of these constitutions; and
- theoretical construction of models to conceptualise the nature and role of the first constitutions (including constituent documents) in the founding of the modern nation-states/territories and their subsequent impact on state-building in the region.

Kevin YL Tan is Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore and Visiting Professor at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Michael Ng is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong.