1.
national polity; national structure; form of government
The fundamental character or political structure of a nation. Historically significant in prewar Japan as an ideological concept centering on the emperor system.
国体の護持を主張する。
To advocate for preserving the national polity.
戦前は国体という概念が政治の中心にあった。
Before the war, the concept of national polity was at the center of politics.
終戦時、政府は国体の維持を最優先条件とした。
At the end of the war, the government made preserving the national polity its top priority condition.
2.
National Sports Festival
Short for 国民体育大会 (National Sports Festival), an annual multi-sport competition held in a different prefecture each year. Renamed to 国民スポーツ大会 in 2024, but the abbreviation 国体 remains in common use.
国体に出場する。
To compete in the National Sports Festival.
来年の国体は地元の県で開催される。
Next year's National Sports Festival will be held in our home prefecture.
高校時代に国体の代表選手に選ばれた。
In high school, I was selected as a representative athlete for the National Sports Festival.
This word has two very different meanings depending on context. Sense 1 (国体 = national polity) is a historically loaded term, central to prewar Japanese ideology emphasizing the emperor as the foundation of the state. It appears frequently in discussions of Japanese wartime history. Sense 2 is an abbreviation of 国民体育大会, Japan's annual national athletic competition held since 1946. Context usually makes the intended meaning clear: political/historical contexts point to sense 1, sports contexts to sense 2.