noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
Refers to being outside a particular sphere, circle, or organization. Often used in fixed expressions like 局外者 (outsider) or 局外に立つ (stand outside).
彼はその問題には局外の立場を取った。
He took an outsider's stance on the issue.
局外者には分からない事情がある。
There are circumstances that outsiders don't understand.
Compound of 局 (bureau, office, situation) and 外 (outside). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since at least the Meiji period to mean 'outside a given sphere or organization'.