political faction; parliamentary group
Refers to a group or faction within a political assembly, such as a parliament or council. The glosses 'denomination' and 'communion' are rare and mostly appear in religious contexts; the core meaning is a political grouping.
Several parliamentary groups exist in the National Diet.
彼は新しい会派を結成した。
He formed a new faction.
The independent lawmakers formed a new parliamentary faction.
He doesn't belong to any parliamentary faction.
Several lawmakers left the parliamentary faction.
Representatives from each faction attended the meeting.
政党 is a formally registered political party, whereas 会派 is a working group within an assembly that can include members from different or no parties.
Compound of 会 (kai, 'meeting, assembly') and 派 (ha, 'faction, group'). The term is used in modern Japanese political contexts.