1.
public trial; court hearing
A stage of criminal proceedings in which a case is examined in open court before a judge, after an indictment has been filed. 公判 refers specifically to the trial phase in which evidence is presented and testimony is heard, as opposed to the earlier investigation stage.
第一回公判。
The first hearing (of the trial).
被告は公判で起訴内容を否認した。
The defendant denied the charges at the trial.
事件の公判は、多くの報道陣が詰めかける中で開かれた。
The trial for the case was held with many reporters crowding into the courtroom.
Composed of 公 (public) and 判 (to judge). The term refers to the open, public phase of a criminal trial, reflecting the principle that trials in Japan are generally held in public. It is a core term in crime reporting and legal writing, and is distinct from the earlier 捜査 (investigation) stage and from the formal 裁判 (court case) as a whole.
This word is a homophone of 広範 (wide-ranging) and 後半 (second half). Context — courtroom, defendant, indictment — makes the meaning clear.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 第一回公判: the first hearing
- 公判が開かれる: a hearing is held
- 公判で証言する: to testify in court
- 公判前整理手続: pre-trial arrangement procedure
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 裁判: trial, lawsuit — the general term for the whole process
- 審理: (court) examination, hearing — the process of examining a case
- 判決: verdict, judgment — the court's final decision
- 起訴: indictment, prosecution — the step before 公判 begins