Obsolete term for a local public servant; replaced in modern usage by 地方公務員 (ちほうこうむいん).
See also: 地方公務員
Under the prewar system, local government officials handled the front lines of local administration.
The word 公吏 is hardly used today and is replaced by 地方公務員.
government officials; officialdom
Compound of 公 (public) and 吏 (official). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term was used in prewar local government systems.