判例

• Reading: はんれい
• Romaji: hanrei
• Kanji breakdown: 判 (han) — judgement, ruling, distinguish; 例 (rei) — example, precedent
• Pronunciation: /haɴɾeː/

Meaning

Judicial precedent; a court ruling, particularly of a superior court, that serves as an authoritative reference for interpreting law in subsequent cases.

A key term in legal discourse. Japan follows a civil law tradition and does not formally bind lower courts to precedent as strictly as common law systems, but Supreme Court 判例 carries enormous practical authority and shapes legal interpretation nationwide. 判例集 (case law reporters) compile these rulings for practitioners. 判例を覆す (to overturn precedent) requires a Grand Bench hearing at the Supreme Court.

Examples

1. 最高裁の判例を覆すには、大法廷での審理を経なければならず、極めて高いハードルがある。 Overturning a Supreme Court precedent requires proceedings before the Grand Bench, an extremely high bar to clear.
2. 弁護士は過去の判例を徹底的に調べ上げ、依頼人に有利な法的論拠を組み立てた。 The lawyer exhaustively researched past precedents and built a legal argument favourable to the client.
3. この判例は知的財産訴訟における損害賠償の算定基準を大きく塗り替えるものとなった。 This precedent substantially rewrote the standard for calculating damages in intellectual property litigation.

Usage Guide

Context: law, courts, legal practice, academic

Tone: technical

Origin & History

From 判 (judgement, ruling; the character originally depicted a knife making distinctions — cutting through ambiguity) and 例 (example, precedent, rule). Together they form the concept of a ruling that itself becomes the authoritative example to follow.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Legal