特赦

• Reading: とくしゃ
• Romaji: tokusha
• Kanji breakdown: 特 (toku) — special, exceptional; 赦 (sha) — pardon, forgive
• Pronunciation: /tokɯɕa/

Meaning

Special pardon; clemency granted by the head of state to a specific individual, forgiving their crime or reducing their sentence.

Distinguished from 大赦 (general amnesty), which applies to entire categories of offenders. 特赦 is granted to a named individual by the emperor (on advice of the cabinet) and extinguishes or reduces the criminal sentence. It is a rare and politically sensitive act in modern Japan, typically associated with major national celebrations. Internationally, the term applies to any executive pardon.

Examples

1. 国家的な慶祝行事に際し、政府は一部の受刑者に対して特赦を実施することを閣議決定した。 On the occasion of a national celebration, the government decided in a cabinet meeting to grant a special pardon to certain inmates.
2. 特赦は行政による刑事司法への介入であるとして、法学者の間でも賛否両論がある。 A special pardon is an intervention by the executive branch into criminal justice, and opinion is divided even among legal scholars.
3. 外国で服役中の自国民への特赦を求める外交交渉が、両国間で秘密裏に進められていた。 Diplomatic negotiations seeking a special pardon for a national serving a sentence abroad were proceeding secretly between the two countries.

Usage Guide

Context: law, politics, criminal justice, diplomacy

Tone: formal

Origin & History

From 特 (special, exceptional) and 赦 (pardon, forgiveness). 赦 contains the radical 攴 (to strike, to discipline) combined with meaning related to releasing from punishment — the idea of an authority choosing to set aside the penalty it otherwise commands.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Legal/Political