noun
mutual support; mutual aid
Refers to two or more parties helping each other; often used in contexts like international relations, community aid, or organizational cooperation.
災害時には、地域の相互支援が不可欠だ。
In times of disaster, mutual support within the community is essential.
両国は経済的な相互支援を約束した。
The two countries pledged economic mutual support.
相互扶助 is a near-synonym often used in social or biological contexts (e.g., mutual aid in anarchist theory or symbiosis), while 相互支援 is more general and common in modern organizational or international settings.
Compound of 相互 (mutual, reciprocal) and 支援 (support, aid). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows standard Sino-Japanese compounding patterns.