法律・正義

民法みんぽうは結婚けっこん・相続そうぞく・契約けいやくなどを規定きていしている。

Civil law governs marriage, inheritance, contracts and the like.

Usage 民法上の権利, 民法改正. Governs relations between private parties, as against 刑法 for crime. The pair 民事 / 刑事 runs through the whole legal vocabulary: 民事訴訟 versus 刑事事件.

Remember it 民 (the people, private citizens) + 法 (law) → the law between private citizens.

刑法けいほうでは殺人さつじんは重罪じゅうざいとして扱あつかわれる。

Under criminal law, murder is treated as a grave offence.

Usage 刑法犯, 刑法に触れる for falling foul of it. Sets out offences and their punishments; contrast 民法. The character 刑 appears throughout: 刑罰, 死刑, 実刑.

Remember it 刑 (punishment) + 法 (law) → the law of punishments.

終身刑しゅうしんけいとは、一生いっしょう刑務所けいむしょに収監しゅうかんされる刑罰けいばつだ。

Life imprisonment means being held in prison for the rest of your life.

Usage 仮釈放のない終身刑 is life without parole. Japanese law itself uses 無期懲役, indefinite imprisonment, so 終身刑 often appears when discussing other countries' systems.

Remember it 終 (end) + 身 (body, one's life) + 刑 (punishment) → punishment that ends only with the life.

詐欺罪さぎざいで懲役ちょうえき三年さんねんの実刑じっけいが言いい渡わたされた。

He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment with labour for fraud.

Usage 懲役三年, 実刑 for a sentence actually served, 執行猶予 for a suspended one. Distinguished from 禁錮, confinement without compulsory labour.

Remember it 懲 (chastise) + 役 (labour, service) → chastisement served out as labour.

努力どりょくした人ひととしない人ひとが同おなじ待遇たいぐうでは不公平ふこうへいだ。

It is unfair for those who worked hard and those who didn't to be treated the same.

Usage 不公平に扱う, 不公平感. The negated form of 公平, even treatment. Do not confuse it with 不公正, which negates 公正 and points at a crooked process rather than an uneven outcome.

Remember it 不 (not) + 公平 (even-handed) → not even-handed.

公民権こうみんけん運動うんどうは差別さべつに対たいする闘たたかいだった。

The civil rights movement was a struggle against discrimination.

Usage 公民権運動 is the American civil rights movement; 公民権を剥奪する is disenfranchisement. Related but narrower is 参政権, the right to take part in politics.

Remember it 公民 (citizen) + 権 (right) → the rights you hold as a citizen.

個人こじんのプライバシーを尊重そんちょうすることは民主みんしゅ社会しゃかいの基本きほんだ。

Respecting individual privacy is fundamental to a democratic society.

Usage プライバシーを侵害する for an invasion of privacy, プライバシーポリシー for a privacy policy. The native 私生活 covers one's private life but not the legal right.

Remember it プライバシー transliterates the English privacy.

虚偽きょぎの情報じょうほうを流ながして他人たにんの名誉めいよを傷きずつけるのは名誉毀損めいよきそんにあたる。

Spreading false information and damaging someone's reputation amounts to defamation.

Usage 名誉毀損罪, 名誉毀損で訴える. Distinguish 侮辱罪, insult, which needs no false statement — the difference is whether a specific untrue fact was asserted.

Remember it 名誉 (honour) + 毀 (destroy) + 損 (damage) → honour destroyed and damaged.

冤罪えんざいで投獄とうごくされて二十年にじゅうねん後ご、無罪むざいが証明しょうめいされた。

Imprisoned on a false charge, he was proved innocent twenty years later.

Usage 冤罪を晴らす is to clear a wrongful conviction, 冤罪被害者 its victim. Related: 推定無罪, the presumption of innocence, and 再審 for a retrial.

Remember it 冤 (false accusation, injustice) + 罪 (crime) → a crime pinned on the wrong person.

被疑者ひぎしゃは長時間ちょうじかんの尋問じんもんの末すえに自白じはくした。

The suspect confessed after long hours of questioning.

Usage 自白する, 自白調書, 自白の強要 for a coerced confession. In law it is admitting to an offence; 告白 is confessing feelings, and 懺悔 confessing to God.

Remember it 自 (self) + 白 (state plainly) → stating it plainly yourself.

弁護士べんごしは被疑者ひぎしゃに黙秘権もくひけんを行使こうしできると告つげた。

The lawyer told the suspect he could exercise his right to silence.

Usage 黙秘権を行使する is the fixed phrase. 黙秘する alone means to stay silent under questioning. The principle behind it is 自己負罪拒否特権.

Remember it 黙 (silent) + 秘 (keep hidden) + 権 (right) → the right to keep silent and keep it to yourself.

警察けいさつは裁判所さいばんしょが発行はっこうした令状れいじょうを持もって家宅捜索かたくそうさくを行おこなった。

The police carried out the house search with a warrant issued by the court.

Usage 逮捕令状 for an arrest warrant, 捜索令状 for a search warrant, 令状なしの逮捕 for arrest without one. The 令状主義 principle requires judicial authorisation.

Remember it 令 (order) + 状 (document) → the document carrying the order.

被告ひこくは保釈金ほしゃくきんを払はらって保釈ほしゃくされた。

The defendant paid bail and was released.

Usage 保釈金 is the money, 保釈中 the period on bail, 保釈申請 the application. Distinct from 釈放, plain release — 保釈 is conditional and can be revoked.

Remember it 保 (guarantee) + 釈 (release) → released against a guarantee.

国家記念日こっかきねんびに大統領だいとうりょうは受刑者じゅけいしゃに恩赦おんしゃを与あたえた。

On the national holiday the president granted the prisoners a pardon.

Usage 恩赦を与える. The umbrella term, with 大赦 for a general amnesty and 特赦 for an individual pardon. In Japan it is exercised by cabinet decision and attested by the Emperor.

Remember it 恩 (grace, favour) + 赦 (forgive) → forgiveness granted as a favour from above.

死刑囚しけいしゅうが大統領だいとうりょうの赦免しゃめんによって命いのちを救すくわれた。

A death-row inmate's life was saved by a presidential pardon.

Usage 赦免する, 刑の赦免. Overlaps with 恩赦 but tends to name the act of releasing a particular person from their punishment rather than the institution.

Remember it 赦 (forgive) + 免 (exempt) → forgiven and let off.

矯正施設きょうせいしせつでは受刑者じゅけいしゃの社会復帰しゃかいふっきを支援しえんしている。

Correctional facilities support prisoners in returning to society.

Usage 矯正施設, 矯正教育. Also everyday medicine and optics: 歯列矯正 for orthodontics, 視力矯正 for vision correction. 更生 is the inner reform; 矯正 is the straightening applied from outside.

Remember it 矯 (straighten a bend) + 正 (correct) → bending it back to straight.

国際社会こくさいしゃかいはその国くにに経済制裁けいざいせいさいを科かした。

The international community imposed economic sanctions on the country.

Usage 制裁を科す, 経済制裁, 制裁措置, 制裁解除 for lifting them. Also used of informal punishment within a group — 社会的制裁.

Remember it 制 (control) + 裁 (judge) → judgement enforced as control.