Translation guide
This English phrase refers to a person who is running away or hiding to avoid arrest, prosecution, or punishment. In Japanese, there is no single exact equivalent; instead, different words and phrases are used depending on the legal context, formality, and whether the person is actively evading capture or has simply not been apprehended.
To refer to someone who is being sought by the police or authorities, often with a warrant.
The most direct and common translation. It means 'escapee' or 'fugitive' and is used in news and legal contexts.
警察は逃亡者を追っている。
The police are pursuing the fugitive.
Specifically refers to a suspect who is wanted on a warrant and whose name has been publicly listed. Often used in wanted posters.
彼は指名手配犯として全国に公開された。
He was publicized nationwide as a wanted fugitive.
A slightly old-fashioned or dramatic term for a wanted person, often used in period dramas or to evoke a historical feel.
彼は江戸時代のお尋ね者だった。
He was a wanted man in the Edo period.
To describe someone who has broken out of prison or escaped while being transported.
Means 'escaped convict' or 'prison escapee'. Used when the person was already in custody.
脱走犯がまだ捕まっていない。
The escaped convict has not been caught yet.
Similar to 脱走犯 but can also refer to someone who fled during arrest or transport, not necessarily from prison.
逃走犯は現場から車で逃げた。
The fleeing suspect escaped from the scene by car.
To emphasize that the person is in hiding to avoid prosecution.
Literally 'suspect on the run'. A common phrase in news reports.
逃亡中の容疑者は海外にいる可能性がある。
The suspect on the run may be overseas.
Means 'criminal who is hiding'. More descriptive and less formal.
犯人は山の中に身を隠しているらしい。
The criminal seems to be hiding in the mountains.
Used in formal legal or international contexts, such as extradition.
A formal legal term used in laws and treaties, such as the 'Fugitive Criminal Extradition Act' (逃亡犯罪人引渡法).
逃亡犯罪人引渡条約に基づき、彼は送還された。
He was extradited under the fugitive criminal extradition treaty.
The phrase 'fugitive from justice' cannot be translated word-for-word into Japanese. Expressions like 正義からの逃亡者 (seigi kara no toubousha) are unnatural and not used.
逃亡者 is a general term for anyone who has fled, while 指名手配犯 specifically means a person who is officially wanted with a warrant and publicly listed. Use 逃亡者 for a broader sense, and 指名手配犯 when emphasizing the wanted status.