極刑

• 読み: きょっけい
• ローマ字: kyokkei
• 漢字の分解: 極 (kyoku/kiwami) — extreme, ultimate; 刑 (kei) — punishment, penalty
• 発音: /kʲok.keː/

意味

Capital punishment; the most severe penalty available under the law; the death sentence.

A formal legal term for the harshest penalty a court can impose. In Japan, this is death by hanging (死刑). Used in formal legal proceedings, court reporting, and journalism. Japan is one of the few developed nations that retains capital punishment. The term can also be used figuratively for any ultimate or extreme consequence, though this extended usage is uncommon. Prosecutors formally request 極刑 in their closing arguments for the most heinous crimes.

例文

1. 検察は残虐な犯行の手口を挙げ、被告に極刑を求める論告を行った。
2. 死刑制度の是非を巡る議論の中で、極刑を廃止すべきという声が高まっている。
3. 裁判長は遺族の苦しみを考慮し、被告に対して極刑を言い渡した。

使い方ガイド

場面: law, criminal justice, death penalty, court proceedings

トーン: negative

起源と歴史

From 極 (extreme/ultimate) and 刑 (punishment/penalty). A classical legal term used in Chinese and Japanese jurisprudence to denote the highest form of judicial punishment, the sentence from which there is no return.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Universal