Book excerpt: "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 eight modern states/territories in Northeast Asia: China (1949) Taiwan (1947) Hong Kong SAR (1997) Macau (1993) Japan (1889) North Korea (1948 or 1972) South Korea (1948) Mongolia (1992) The collection provides: - an exploratory description of the process and substantive inputs in the making of the first constitutions of these nations; - 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 and their subsequent impact on state-building in the region."--