noun
nearest relative; next of kin
Formal term used in legal, inheritance, or medical contexts to refer to the closest blood relative.
緊急連絡先として最近親の氏名を記入してください。
Please write the name of your nearest relative as an emergency contact.
遺産は最近親に相続される。
The estate is inherited by the next of kin.
近親者 means a close relative, but 最近親 emphasizes the single nearest relative, often in legal contexts.
Compound of 最 (most) + 近親 (close relative). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is used in modern legal and formal Japanese.