This suggests that the ban has been partially effective; while a majority of students continued to be subject to corporal punishment, its use was slowly declining. Penal system Corporal punishment is illegal as a disciplinary measure in penal institutions. In 1909, when Formosa (as Taiwan was then known) was part of the Empire of Japan, the local government introduced judicial flogging for native Formosan Chinese criminals, which was carried out with a cane. This penalty was regarded as a substitute for imprisonment, and applied to males aged between 16 and 60. In 1997 the Taiwanese authorities said they would consider calls for the introduction of judicial caning on the lines of practice in Singapore to deter crime. In March 2007, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party called for the caning of sex offenders, but this idea was rejected by the Ministry of Justice. See also Human rights in the Republic of China Notes Corporal punishments Education in Taiwan