はともかく（として）leaving aside; never mind
You leave one point aside to say what matters more. Often it is a weak point you are letting pass.
Leaving the finer points of wording aside, the content is well organized.
Whether you go or not, you should reply to the invitation today.
How to form it
Noun + はともかく（として）
The として is optional and changes little.
After a question
Plain form + かどうか + はともかく
"Whether or not": the question is left open. A question word works too: だれが行くかはともかく.
- Before it
- The point you won't go into: 味, 見た目, 値段, 結果.
- After it
- What matters more, or what you can say for sure.
- Tone
- Often a quiet admission: 味はともかく hints that the food is nothing special.
- Where you'll meet it
- Conversation, reviews, meetings, opinion pieces.
In use
Leaving the price aside, this shop is conveniently close to the station.
Whatever the result, I want to give credit for seeing it through to the end.
Leaving the timing aside for now, we first need to agree on the purpose of the plan.
はともかく or は別として?
Both keep someone out of what you say next, for different reasons.
Apart from him, the others will probably agree.
He is a different case, usually the exception: he won't.
I can't speak for him, but the others will probably agree.
He is waved aside: you won't say either way. The others are the point.
After かどうか there is little to choose: はともかく, はさておき and は別として all leave the question open.
ともかく by itself
With nothing before it, ともかく is "anyway", the same as とにかく.
Anyway, let's meet and talk.
Close neighbours
は別としてN2
"Apart from": the one you name is a different case, and what follows is about the rest.
Apart from Ms. Yamada, all the other participants live in this town.
はさておきN2
Puts a topic aside for now so the talk can turn to another. A chair or a writer says it to move things on.
Joking aside, let's go over the content of tomorrow's presentation.
ならともかくN2
"It would be one thing if …": names a case you could accept. What follows is usually an objection to the real one.
From a child it would be one thing, but an adult making that kind of excuse is a problem.
Check yourself
1What does this say about the taste?
この
Choose an answer to see why.
2What does this mean?
勝てるか
Choose an answer to see why.
More sentences
Never mind the cost for now; let's put safety first.
Whether we can make it in time or not, let's contact the person in charge first.
Whatever you think of the design, this chair is too hard to sit in for long.