Refers to a person or entity holding supreme authority, especially in political or legal contexts.
A democratic state where the people are sovereign.
The will of the sovereign must be respected.
統治者 emphasizes the act of governing or ruling; 主権者 focuses on the possession of supreme authority.
Compound of 主権 (sovereignty) + 者 (person). The term is a modern political concept, likely coined during the Meiji period to translate Western ideas of sovereignty.