duty to act; obligation to act; duty of commission
Legal term referring to a positive obligation to take action, as opposed to a duty to refrain from acting (不作為義務).
Doctors have a duty to act to save their patients.
If a breach of the duty to act is recognized, liability for damages arises.
不作為義務 is the duty to refrain from acting (duty of omission), while 作為義務 is the duty to take positive action.
Compound of 作為 (action, commission) and 義務 (duty, obligation). The term is primarily used in legal contexts.