Translation guide
The principle that the people hold ultimate power in a state. In Japanese, this is expressed through specific political terms, often in formal or legal contexts.
The general concept that the people are the source of political power.
The standard term for 'popular sovereignty' or 'sovereignty of the people' in political science and constitutional law. Used in formal contexts.
日本国憲法は国民主権を基本原理としている。
The Constitution of Japan has popular sovereignty as its fundamental principle.
Both translate to 'popular sovereignty', but 国民主権 is the standard term in Japanese constitutional law, referring to the sovereignty of the nation's people as a whole. 人民主権 is more associated with the sovereignty of the common people or the proletariat, and is less common in official documents.
Also means 'popular sovereignty', but '人民' can carry a nuance of 'the masses' or 'the common people', sometimes with a revolutionary or democratic connotation. Less common than 国民主権 in modern Japanese legal contexts.
フランス革命は人民主権の理念を広めた。
The French Revolution spread the idea of popular sovereignty.
A more literary or classical phrasing meaning 'sovereignty resides in the people'. Often seen in historical or philosophical texts.
主権在民の思想は近代民主主義の基礎である。
The idea that sovereignty resides in the people is the foundation of modern democracy.