SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: EAST ASIA SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: EAST ASIA Sub-Regional Overview: East Asia Countries Covered: China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea and South Korea Laws Citizenship Law All the nationality laws in East Asia operate through a jus sanguinis structure.142 In two states (Japan and South Korea) children born to a national parent or parents will be considered citizens, no distinction is made between children born within or outside the country.143 The citizenship laws of three states (China, Mongolia and North Korea) provide some differential treatment between children born within or outside the country.144 The application of citizenship laws in East Asia is further complicated by household registration systems which simultaneously operate, the impact of these systems on the realization of citizenship is specifically notable in China and Japan.145 This extra administrative layer complicates the task of mapping laws within these countries as citizenship laws form only a component of a larger web of laws and policies that impact an individual��s ability to gain and prove their citizenship. East Asia is the only sub-region in the Asia-Pacific without discriminatory provisions (either ethnic or gender based) present in the citizenship laws of any state. Ratification of Relevant Treaties South Korea is the only country in the region party to either of the Stateless Conventions, having ratified the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons.146 Three states, China, Japan and South Korea are all contracting states to the Refugee Convention and Protocol.147 All states are party to ICESCR, ICERD, CEDAW and CRC.148 28 29 STATELESSNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA ASIA PACIFIC REPORT 2023