Constitution of the Chinese Linguistic Society of Japan

Chapter I. General

Article 1. Name

This Society shall be known as the Chinese Linguistic Society of Japan (日本中国語学会).

Article 2. Objective

The objective of the Society shall be to contribute to the scientific study of language and to Chinese language teaching through research in Chinese linguistics and its related areas.

Article 3. Business

The Society shall execute the following business to achieve its objective mentioned above:

1. Organization of an Annual Conference and an Annual General Meeting
2. Organization of regular study meetings and other meetings
3. Publication of the Society journal and newsletters and administration and management of its home page
4. Communication and co-ordination with other related societies
5. Other necessary activities

Chapter II. Membership

Article 4. Members

1. The Society shall have the following classes of membership: regular, overseas, emeritus, and supporting member.Any person may become a member by payment of appropriate dues.

2. Any individual or research/educational institution in the field of Chinese linguistics who subscribes to the objectives of the Society may become a regular or an overseas member.

3. An individual who has served the Society for many years may be eligible for an emeritus status.An emeritus member shall be exempt from payment of annual dues.

4. Supporting members are those who subscribe to the objectives of the Society and offer financial support.

5. The regulations concerning membership shall be stipulated in the By-Laws of the Society.

Article 5. Dues

Membership dues and donations shall cover expenditures arising in the Society.The regulations concerning the amount of dues and the payment procedures shall be stipulated in the By-Laws of the Society.

Article 6.Rights of Members

All members shall be entitled to present research papers at the Annual Conference and at regular study meetings mentioned in Article 3, and to submit articles to the Society journal.All members shall receive the Society journal and information on the activities of the Society.

Chapter III. Officers

Article 7. Officers

The Society shall have the following officers:

1. a President
2. a Vice President
3. six Directors
4. thirty (approx.) Councilors
5. Committee members
6. Advisors
7. two Auditors
8. Secretaries

Article 8. Duties of Officers

1. The President shall represent the Society and shall preside over all business of the Society.

2. The Vice President shall assist the President, and shall perform the function of the President when the President can no longer perform his duties in an unforeseen situation.

3. The six Directors, together with the President and the Vice President, shall compose the Board of Directors and conduct the business of the Society.

4. The Councilors shall attend the Council meeting and advise on the business of the Society.They shall also represent each Regional Office and promote regular study meetings.

5. The Committee members shall conduct the business of each Committee as defined in the By-Laws.They also attend the Council meetings to report on committee business.

6. Advisors shall be available for advice to the President.

7. The Auditors shall audit the accounts of the Society.

8. The Secretaries shall manage the routine business of the Society.

Article 9. Terms of Officers

1. Each Officer shall serve for a term of two years, with possible reappointment. The President and the Vice President, however, must not be reappointed to the same positions again.

2. The age of an Officer, with the exception of an Advisor, must not exceed sixty-eight.

Article 10. Election of Officers

1. The President and Directors shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting, in accordance with the procedures stipulated in the By-Laws.

2. The President shall appoint one of the Directors as the Vice President.

3. The President shall appoint Councilors based on the recommendations of the Regional Offices or the Board of Directors.

4. The President shall appoint Committee members from among Society members.

5. Regulations regarding the appointment of Advisors shall be stipulated in the By-Laws.

6. The President shall appoint Auditors based on the suggestions of the Board of Directors.

7. The President shall appoint Secretaries from among Society members.

Chapter IV. Meetings

Article 11. Types of Meetings

There shall be four types of meetings:the Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors meetings, the Council meeting, and Committee meeting(s).

Article 12. Annual General Meeting

The President shall convene a General Meeting once a year.Special general meetings shall be held if the President deems it necessary.

Article 13. Council Meeting

The Council shall be composed of the Directors, the Councilors and the Committee members.The President shall convene a Council meeting once a year.Special Council meetings shall be held if the President deems it necessary.Special Council meetings shall also be held upon the resolution of the Council or upon the request of seven or more Councilors.The Council shall draft the agenda of the Annual General Meeting.

Article 14. Board of Directors Meeting

A meeting of the Board of Directors shall be convened at the President’s discretion.The President shall call a special meeting upon the request of three or more members of the Board of Directors.The Board of Directors meeting shall draft the agenda of the Council meeting.

Article 15. Committee Meeting

The chairperson of each Committee shall convene a meeting at his or her discretion.A Committee meeting shall also be held upon the request of the President.

Chapter V. Committees and Regional Offices

Article 16. Committees

Committees shall be set up in accordance to the needs of the Society.The procedures for setting up and managing Committees shall be stipulated in the By-Laws.

Article 17. Regional Offices

Each region in Japan shall be represented by a Regional Office.The procedures for setting up Regional Offices shall be stipulated in the By-Laws.

Chapter IV. Fiscal Policy

Article 18. Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Society shall start on April 1 of each year and end on March 31 of the following year.

Article 19. Budget and Settlement

The President shall submit a budget to the Board of Directors for approval, and then report it at the Council meeting and at the Annual General Meeting for approval.The President shall also create a settlement of accounts, which shall be audited by the Auditors and approved by the Board of Directors.The President shall then report the settlement at the Council meeting and at the Annual General Meeting for approval.

Chapter VII. Amendments to Constitution and By-Laws

Article 20. Amendments to Constitution

Any proposed amendments to the Constitution of the Society must be resolved at the Council meeting and be submitted to the Annual General Meeting.An amendment must receive the approval of two-thirds or more of the attendees both at the Council meeting and at the Annual General Meeting.

Article 21. Amendments to By-Laws

Any proposed amendment to the By-Laws must be approved at the Council meeting and be reported at the Annual General Meeting.An amendment must receive the approval of two-thirds or more of the attendees at the Council meeting.

[Supplementary Provisions]

1. The office of the Society shall be temporarily established within the President’s affiliated institution or in a nearby location.

2. This amended Constitution shall be effective as of April 1, 2006.

By-Laws of the Chinese Linguistic Society of Japan

The Chinese Linguistic Society of Japan uses the Japanese version of its Constitution as its formal document, but offers both Chinese and the English versions for reference. In the case of any interpretive discrepancies between the three language versions, the Japanese version of the Constitution will govern.

[Membership] (Cf. Chapter II)

1. Emeritus Members (Cf. Article 4)

(1) An emeritus member must be of the age of seventy years or older, have been a continuous member of the Society for over twenty years, and have contributed to the development of the Society.

(2) Each year all members of the Society shall be asked for a nomination of emeritus members in the newsletter issued after the Annual Conference.The nominations shall be submitted to the Council for deliberation, then be resolved at the Annual General Meeting.

2. Supporting Members (Cf. Article 4)

A supporting member shall in principle be a business corporation whose membership is approved by the President.

3. Overseas Members (Cf. Article 4)

(1) A researcher residing overseas who wishes to become a member of the Society must fill out the application form, downloaded from the Society home page, and mail it to the Society office.

(2) An overseas member shall be entitled to participate in the Annual Conference, regular study meetings, and other academic activities organized by the Society, as well as receive the journal CHUUGOKU GOGAKU (Chinese Linguistics) and the membership directory.An overseas member, however, does not possess the right to vote or the right to be elected.An overseas member shall not receive any business mail such as newsletters or announcements of meetings and must obtain necessary information from the home page of the Society.

4.Payment of Dues (Cf. Article 5)

(1) Each regular, overseas, and supporting member shall pay an annual fee as dues at the beginning of each fiscal year in accordance with the regulations.The annual fee for both a regular and an overseas member shall be six thousand yen.The annual fee for a supporting member shall be thirty thousand yen.

(2) Any person applying for membership in January through March shall be granted membership as of the following fiscal year.As an exception, however, any such person may choose to become a member for the current year by paying the dues upon application.

(3) Any member who has not paid dues for two or more years shall have his or her membership removed upon notification.

(4) An overseas member shall pay dues in the manner designated by the Society.An overseas member who has a contact address in Japan may pay the dues in the same way as a regular member does.

[Officers] (Cf. Chapter III)

1. President and Vice-President (Cf. Articles 7 and 8)

In circumstances where the President cannot continue to perform his or her duties as President, the Acting President shall assume the responsibilities of the President until the end of that President’s term.

2. Commission of Advisors (Cf. Articles 7 and 8)

(1) An Advisor shall be commissioned from among those members who are of the age of seventy years or older and who have formally served as President or Director.An Advisor shall be exempt from the payment of annual dues.

(2) The President shall submit the commission of Advisors to the Board of Directors, then report it at the Council meeting and at the Annual General Meeting for approval.

[Meetings] (Cf. Chapter IV)

Board of Directors Meeting, Council Meeting and the Annual General Meeting (Cf. Articles 13 and 14)

(1) The President shall convene the Board of Directors meeting at appropriate times.The President shall convene the Council meeting and the Annual General Meeting at the time of the Annual Conference.

(2) All matters requiring voting shall be decided by the affirmative vote of a majority of the attendees at the Council meeting and at the Annual General Meeting.Any amendment to the Constitution or By-laws shall be carried out according to Articles 20 and 21 of the Constitution.

[Committees and Regional Offices] (Cf. Chapter V)

1. Committees (Cf. Articles 15 and 16)

(1) The Society shall set up an Editing Committee and a Web-resource Committee.

(2) The chairperson of each Committee shall be elected from among Committee members.

2. The Editing Committee of the Society Journal CHUUGOKU GOGAKU (Chinese Linguisitics) (Cf. Articles 15 and 16)

3. Web-resource Committee (Cf. Articles 15 and 16)

4. Regional Offices (Cf. Article 17)

(1) The following Regional Offices shall be established: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Hokuriku, Tokai, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu.

(2) Each Regional Office shall elect a representative for the new fiscal year by the end of February of the current fiscal year. In principle, representatives shall be selected from among Councilors.