lese majesty; lèse-majesté
A legal term for the crime of insulting or showing disrespect toward a monarch, head of state, or national symbols. Historically used in Japan under the former Penal Code (abolished in 1947).
Lese majesty was one of the crimes that once existed in Japan's Penal Code.
In Thailand, lese majesty is still sometimes strictly enforced.
Compound of 不敬 (disrespect, irreverence) and 罪 (crime, offense). The term was used in the Meiji-era Penal Code and abolished after World War II.