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JLPT N2 Politics & Law Vocabulary (2026)

Complete JLPT N2 Politics & Law vocabulary with readings and example sentences (94 words).

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This set covers 94 N2-level words for talking about Japanese government, law, and the justice system — from Diet procedure and cabinet titles to courtroom vocabulary and administrative jargon. N2 reading and listening sections lean heavily on news-style Japanese, and this is exactly the register where that vocabulary concentrates: political coverage, legal notices, and editorial commentary all draw on the same set of kanji compounds.

This article is part of our JLPT N2 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 94 words with the Politics & Law Vocabulary deck in Onigiri Anki.

Government Bodies & Officials (18)

Covers the institutions and titles of Japanese national and local government — the cabinet, the Diet, ministries, and the people who run them — vocabulary that appears constantly in N2 reading passages and NHK-style news about current affairs.

parliament議会gikai

その議案は議会で議論されました。 — The bill was debated in parliament.

cabinet内閣naikaku

内閣は新しい方針を決めました。 — The cabinet decided on a new policy.

ruling party与党yotou

与党はその法案を支持しています。 — The ruling party supports the bill.

opposition party野党yatou

野党はその計画を批判しました。 — The opposition party criticized the plan.

administration政権seiken

政権は新しい改革を発表しました。 — The administration announced a new reform.

political party政党seitou

その政党は地方で強いです。 — That political party is strong in the countryside.

diet国会kokkai

その法案は国会で話し合われました。 — The bill was discussed in the Diet.

diet member議員giin

その議員は有権者の質問に答えました。 — The Diet member answered the voters' questions.

prime minister首相shushou

首相は他の国の指導者と会いました。 — The prime minister met with the leaders of other countries.

minister大臣daijin

大臣は新しい方針を説明しました。 — The minister explained the new policy.

cabinet minister閣僚kakuryou

会議には何人かの閣僚が出席しました。 — Several cabinet ministers attended the meeting.

bureaucrat官僚kanryou

官僚は書類をていねいに確認しました。 — The bureaucrat checked the documents carefully.

government ministry省庁shouchou

省庁ごとに役割が違います。 — Each ministry has a different role.

public service公務koumu

彼は長年、公務に携わっています。 — He has been engaged in public service for many years.

administrative authority行政庁gyouseichou

行政庁はその計画を認めました。 — The administrative authority approved the plan.

government office官庁kanchou

書類をもらうために官庁へ行きました。 — I went to the government office to get the documents.

national politics国政kokusei

国政はまた重要な話題になりました。 — National politics has become an important topic again.

local autonomy地方自治chihoujichi

地方自治は地域の発展にとって大切です。 — Local autonomy is important for regional development.

Elections & the Legislative Process (16)

Covers how a policy becomes a bill and a bill becomes law — campaigning, voting, committee deliberation, and the vote itself — the vocabulary used to narrate an election or a Diet session, a frequent source of N2 listening and reading material.

policy政策seisaku

市は新しい政策を発表しました。 — The city announced a new policy.

bill議案gian

委員会は議案を承認しました。 — The committee approved the bill.

bill (proposed law)法案houan

その法案は委員会で承認されました。 — The bill was approved by the committee.

pledge公約kouyaku

彼は選挙の公約を守りました。 — He kept his election pledge.

candidate候補kouho

彼女は選挙の候補になりました。 — She became a candidate in the election.

voting投票touhyou

投票は6時に終わりました。 — Voting ended at six o'clock.

deliberation審議shingi

委員会はまだ審議中です。 — The committee is still deliberating.

passage可決kaketsu

その法案は議会で可決されました。 — The bill was passed by the assembly.

rejection否決hiketsu

会議でその提案は否決されました。 — The proposal was rejected at the meeting.

resolution決議ketsugi

委員会は決議を採択しました。 — The committee passed a resolution.

reply答弁touben

大臣はその質問に丁寧に答弁しました。 — The minister gave a careful reply to the question.

legislative proceedings議事giji

議事は遅れずに進行しました。 — The legislative proceedings progressed without delay.

session term会期kaiki

会期は来週まで続きます。 — The session term will continue until next week.

plenary session本会議honkaigi

その問題は本会議で話し合われました。 — The issue was discussed in the plenary session.

committee委員会iinkai

委員会は明日開かれます。 — The committee will meet tomorrow.

vote採決saiketsu

議論の後で採決が行われました。 — The vote was held after the discussion.

Laws, Treaties & the Legal Framework (22)

Covers the vocabulary of lawmaking itself, from constitutions and treaties to the verbs for enacting, amending, and abolishing statutes — core terms for N2 passages on legal reform or international agreements.

system / institution制度seido

新しい制度が導入されました。 — A new system was introduced.

regulation規制kisei

新しい規制が来月から施行されます。 — New regulations will be enforced from next month.

treaty条約jouyaku

両国は条約に署名しました。 — The two countries signed a treaty.

enforcement施行shikou

その法律は四月から施行されます。 — The law will be enforced starting in April.

revision改正kaisei

会社は規則を改正しました。 — The company revised the rules.

laws and regulations法令hourei

会社は事業を始める前に法令を確認しました。 — The company checked the laws and regulations before starting the project.

regulations法規houki

この施設では法規を守らなければなりません。 — We must follow the regulations at this facility.

judiciary司法shihou

司法は政治から独立していなければなりません。 — The judiciary must be independent from politics.

legislation立法rippou

政府は家族を支えるための立法を検討しています。 — The government is discussing legislation to support families.

constitution憲法kenpou

憲法は国民の権利を守っています。 — The constitution protects the rights of citizens.

promulgation公布koufu

新しい法律が昨日公布されました。 — The new law was promulgated yesterday.

public notice告示kokuji

市は道路の通行止めを告示しました。 — The city gave a public notice about the road closure.

notice通達tsuutatsu

学校は保護者に通達を出しました。 — The school sent a notice to parents.

establishment制定seitei

新しい校則が去年制定されました。 — The new school rules were established last year.

abolition撤廃teppai

政府は古い税制度を撤廃しました。 — The government abolished the old tax system.

revision (of rules, rates, or systems)改定kaitei

会社は就業規則を改定しました。 — The company revised its work rules.

amendment修正shuusei

先生はレポートを修正しました。 — The teacher corrected the report.

ordinance条例jourei

市の条例で、公園での喫煙が禁止されています。 — Smoking in the park is prohibited by city ordinance.

diplomacy外交gaikou

国際関係では外交が大切です。 — Diplomacy is important in international relations.

legislation (legal system)法制housei

政府は法制を見直しています。 — The government is reviewing legislation.

legal affairs法務houmu

彼女は会社の法務部を担当しています。 — She is in charge of the company's legal affairs department.

clause条項joukou

この条項は契約に追加されました。 — This clause was added to the contract.

Permits, Regulation & Administrative Action (11)

Covers the everyday language of bureaucratic procedure — applying for authorization, registering, easing or tightening rules, and issuing guidance — vocabulary that shows up whenever an N2 text describes a government agency taking action.

relaxation緩和kanwa

新しいルールで規制が少し緩和されました。 — The new rule brought some relaxation to the restrictions.

strengthening強化kyouka

会社はセキュリティーを強化しました。 — The company strengthened its security.

authorization認可ninka

市は新しい建物に建築を認可しました。 — The city authorized the construction of the new building.

permission許可kyoka

この部屋を使うには許可が必要です。 — You need permission to use this room.

registration登録touroku

私はオンラインで登録を済ませました。 — I completed the registration online.

examination審査shinsa

その書類は審査中です。 — The documents are under examination.

recommendation勧告kankoku

会社は安全対策を見直すように勧告を受けました。 — The company received a recommendation to improve safety.

guidance指導shidou

先生は私に丁寧に指導しました。 — The teacher gave me careful guidance.

administrative guidance行政指導gyouseishidou

市役所はその会社に行政指導をしました。 — The city office gave the company administrative guidance.

application適用tekiyou

このルールは子どもには適用されません。 — This rule does not apply to children.

execution執行shikkou

裁判官は判決の執行を命じました。 — The judge ordered the execution of the sentence.

Courts, Trials & Legal Parties (22)

Covers the people and procedures of the justice system, from filing a suit and testifying to being found guilty or acquitted — dense, high-value vocabulary for N2 passages on legal proceedings and crime reporting.

petition請願seigan

私たちは市役所に請願を出しました。 — We sent a petition to the city office.

appeal陳情chinjou

住民は騒音の問題について市に陳情しました。 — The residents made an appeal to the city about the noise problem.

accusation告発kokuhatsu

警察は容疑者に対する告発を受けました。 — The police received an accusation against the suspect.

lawsuit訴訟soshou

会社はその訴訟を和解で解決しました。 — The company settled the lawsuit through a settlement.

judgment判決hanketsu

裁判所は今日、判決を言い渡しました。 — The court announced its judgment today.

prosecution起訴kiso

警察は彼を起訴しました。 — The police charged him.

not guilty無罪muzai

裁判所はその男性を無罪としました。 — The court found the man not guilty.

guilty有罪yuuzai

彼女はその罪で有罪になりました。 — She was found guilty of the crime.

testimony証言shougen

彼の証言は裁判の助けになりました。 — His testimony helped the trial.

complaint告訴kokuso

彼女は警察に告訴しました。 — She filed a complaint with the police.

settlement和解wakai

両社は和解に達しました。 — The two companies reached a settlement.

penalty provision罰則bassoku

その新しい法律には罰則があります。 — The new law includes a penalty provision.

illegal違法ihou

ここに駐車するのは違法です。 — It is illegal to park here.

legal合法gouhou

この商品は完全に合法です。 — This product is completely legal.

judgment (adjudication)審判shinpan

審判の判断は厳しかったです。 — The referee's judgment was strict.

courtroom法廷houtei

被告は法廷で静かに話しました。 — The defendant spoke quietly in the courtroom.

plaintiff原告genkoku

原告は法廷で問題を説明しました。 — The plaintiff explained the problem to the court.

defendant被告hikoku

被告はその疑いを否定しました。 — The defendant denied the allegation.

prosecution (the prosecutor's office)検察kensatsu

検察は強い証拠を示しました。 — The prosecution presented strong evidence.

defense弁護bengo

弁護人は被告の弁護をしっかり行いました。 — The lawyer made a strong defense for the accused.

judge判事hanji

判事は両方の意見をよく聞きました。 — The judge listened to both sides carefully.

jury陪審baishin

陪審は長い話し合いの後で結論を出しました。 — The jury reached a decision after a long discussion.

Crackdowns & Punishment (5)

Covers a compact set of words for enforcement action and its consequences — crackdowns, penalties, and detention — vocabulary that recurs in N2 news passages about crime and law enforcement.

crackdown取締りtorishimari

警察は違法駐車を取締りしています。 — The police are cracking down on illegal parking.

punishment処罰shobatsu

彼は規則を破ったので処罰されました。 — He was punished for breaking the rules.

penalty刑罰keibatsu

その罪の刑罰は重いです。 — The penalty for that crime is severe.

detention拘束kousoku

彼は三日間拘束されました。 — He was detained for three days.

detention (pre-trial custody)勾留kouryuu

容疑者は今、勾留されています。 — The suspect is in detention now.

The 審 Family and Three Ways to Accuse Someone

A few kanji in this set are especially productive: 審 (to examine or deliberate) appears in 審議 (deliberation), 審査 (examination), and 審判 (adjudication), so once 審 is secured as "scrutinize," the second kanji alone tells you which flavor of examination is meant. The list also draws a fine distinction between three ways of accusing someone: 告発 (kokuhatsu) is reporting a suspected crime to authorities, often by a third party; 告訴 (kokuso) is a formal complaint filed by the victim; and 起訴 (kiso) is the prosecutor's own decision to indict, a step only a prosecutor can take. A related pair worth separating is 拘束 (kousoku), general physical restraint, versus 勾留 (kouryuu), the specific pre-trial detention procedure in criminal law. Antonym pairs are unusually dense here too — 与党/野党, 可決/否決, 合法/違法, 無罪/有罪 — reflecting how N2 vocabulary is often tested through paired opposites rather than words in isolation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 許可 and 認可 — don't they both mean permission?

Both translate as authorization, but 許可 (kyoka) is the general term for permission to do something and covers everything from a driver's license to a business permit, while 認可 (ninka) specifically means formal government approval of an organization's status, articles, or plan, and shows up mostly in administrative and institutional contexts. When in doubt, 許可 is the safer default outside of formal administrative documents.

What is 行政指導, and why does it keep showing up in Japanese news?

行政指導 (administrative guidance) is advice a government ministry gives to a business or individual that carries no legal force — it's a distinctly Japanese regulatory tool that lets ministries steer behavior without a court order or formal penalty behind it. It's simply 行政 (administration) plus 指導 (guidance), both of which appear elsewhere in this list on their own, so recognizing the compound is mostly a matter of combining two words already learned.

Practice All 94 Politics & Law Vocabulary Words

Import the Politics & Law Vocabulary deck into Onigiri Anki and master this category with spaced repetition.