派閥

• 読み: はばつ
• ローマ字: habatsu
• 漢字の分解: 派 (ha) — branch, faction, tributary; 閥 (batsu) — clique, influential group
• 発音: /habatsɯ/

意味

Faction; clique; an organised sub-group within a larger political party or institution that advances its own interests.

A noun central to understanding Japanese politics, particularly within the Liberal Democratic Party (自由民主党), where historically powerful factions controlled candidate selection, cabinet appointments, and party funds. Each 派閥 typically centred around a powerful figure with its own fundraising machinery. Post-scandal reforms in 2024 forced several major factions to formally dissolve, though informal networks persist.

例文

1. 自民党内の派閥抗争が再び表面化し、次期総裁選の行方が一気に混沌としてきた。
2. 彼は若い頃から派閥に属さず、無派閥として党内で独自路線を貫いてきた。
3. 政治資金問題を受けて複数の有力派閥が解散を余儀なくされ、党内力学が大きく変わった。

使い方ガイド

場面: politics, LDP, journalism, Japanese governance

トーン: analytical

起源と歴史

From 派 (branch, tributary, faction) and 閥 (clique, influential group). 閥 contains the gate radical 門, suggesting an exclusive group that controls entry to power. 派 originally referred to a tributary stream branching from a main river — here applied metaphorically to a branch organisation within a larger body.

文化的背景

時代: Post-war to Modern

世代: Adults

社会的背景: General