Chiang Wan-an addresses academic credential discrepancies

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an has addressed controversies regarding his academic credentials listed on the Legislative Yuan website. Critics questioned why his English profile previously listed an ‘S.J.D.’ (Doctor of Juridical Science) instead of a ‘J.D.’ (Juris Doctor). Chiang stated that the Chinese information provided by his office during his terms in the 9th and 10th Legislative Yuan was always correct, attributing the discrepancy to translation errors made by the Legislative Yuan’s outsourced vendor.

Academic analysis suggests that Chiang’s original records from the 9th term correctly identified his degree as a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, which aligns with official Chinese translations. A similar discrepancy was noted regarding legislator Su Chiao-hui, whose English profile previously listed an ‘SJD’ while her Chinese profile correctly identified her highest degree as an ‘LLM’ (Master of Laws) and noted the SJD as a candidate status.

Political opponents have criticized the incident, suggesting it reflects on Chiang’s public image, while the Taipei City Government maintains that the error was strictly a matter of external translation and has since been corrected.