検事

• Reading: けんじ
• Romaji: kenji
• Kanji breakdown: 検 (ken) — examine, inspect, investigate; 事 (ji) — matter, affair
• Pronunciation: /keɴ.dʑi/

Meaning

Public prosecutor. A government lawyer responsible for prosecuting criminal cases on behalf of the state.

A noun referring to a public prosecutor in Japan's legal system. Distinguished from 弁護士 (bengoshi, defence lawyer/attorney) and 裁判官 (saibankan, judge) as one of the three key roles in court. The full formal title is 検察官 (kensatsukan), but 検事 is the more commonly used term in daily language and media. Japan's prosecutors hold significant power, with a near-perfect conviction rate.

Examples

1. 検事は被告の有罪を主張した。 The prosecutor argued for the defendant's guilt.
2. 彼女は司法試験に合格して検事になった。 She passed the bar exam and became a prosecutor.
3. 検事が新しい証拠を裁判所に提出した。 The prosecutor submitted new evidence to the court.

Usage Guide

Context: law, court, crime drama

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 検 (ken, examine/inspect) + 事 (ji, matter/affair). Literally 'one who examines matters' — a person whose role is to investigate and prosecute criminal affairs.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal