禁錮(きんこ)

きんこ
noun
imprisonment (without forced labor)
formallegallaw
1. imprisonment without forced labor
A form of criminal punishment in the Japanese legal system where the convicted person is confined to prison but not required to perform labor. Lighter than imprisonment with labor but heavier than a fine.
禁錮(きんこ)3年(ねん)の判決(はんけつ)が下(くだ)された。
A sentence of three years' imprisonment was handed down.
禁錮(きんこ)以上(いじょう)の刑(けい)に処(しょ)せられると公務員(こうむいん)になれない。
Anyone sentenced to imprisonment or above cannot become a civil servant.
被告人(ひこくにん)は業務上過失致死(ぎょうむじょうかしつちし)で禁錮(きんこ)2年(ねん)、執行猶予(しっこうゆうよ)4年(ねん)の判決(はんけつ)を受(う)けた。
The defendant received a sentence of two years' imprisonment, suspended for four years, for professional negligence resulting in death.

Composed of 禁(きん) (prohibit, confine) + 錮(こ) (imprison). Also written 禁固(きんこ). In Japanese criminal law, the traditional distinction is: 懲役(ちょうえき) (imprisonment with labor) vs. 禁錮(きんこ) (imprisonment without labor). 禁錮(きんこ) was typically applied to negligent crimes rather than intentional ones. Note: Japan's 2022 Penal Code reform merged 懲役(ちょうえき) and 禁錮(きんこ) into a new unified category called 拘禁刑(こうきんけい) (effective 2025). Common collocations: 禁錮(きんこ)〜年(ねん) (~ years' imprisonment), 禁錮(きんこ)刑(けい) (imprisonment sentence). Not to be confused with the homophone 金庫(きんこ) (safe, vault).

Related Words

Compare: 懲役(ちょうえき) (imprisonment with labor)
Compare: 投獄(とうごく) (imprisonment)
Compare: 有期(ゆうき)懲役(ちょうえき) (fixed-term imprisonment)
general
Added 2026.3.24 23:04 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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