Translation guide
A lawsuit filed by one or a few people on behalf of a larger group with similar claims.
Referring to the legal procedure where a group collectively sues a defendant.
Standard term for a class action lawsuit in Japanese legal contexts.
A class action was filed against that company.
Loanword from English, used in some legal or news contexts, but less common than 集団訴訟.
Refers to a representative action, often used in shareholder derivative suits, but can overlap with class actions in some contexts.
集団訴訟 is the standard Japanese legal term and is widely understood. クラスアクション is a direct loanword and may be used in international contexts, but it is less natural in domestic legal discussions.
Class actions are often used in the United States.
A shareholder derivative suit is brought against company officers.
Under Japanese law, the class action system is limited.
When explaining the concept to a Japanese speaker unfamiliar with the term, you can describe it as 「多くの人が同じ被害を受けた場合に、代表者がまとめて裁判を起こすこと」 (a lawsuit where representatives sue collectively when many people suffer the same harm).