noun
elder statesman; doyen; veteran authority
Refers to a senior, respected figure in a field or organization, often with long experience and informal influence. Not limited to politics.
彼は政界の元老として尊敬されている。
He is respected as an elder statesman of the political world.
その学会の元老が記
The doyen of that academic society gave a commemorative lecture.
noun
genrō (Meiji-era elder statesman)
Historical term for the small group of senior statesmen who informally advised the emperor from the Meiji period until the early Shōwa era. Not used for modern political advisors.
元老の一人である伊藤博文は、明治憲法の制定に深く関わった。
Itō Hirobumi, one of the genrō, was deeply involved in the establishment of the Meiji Constitution.