noun
criminal investigation; prosecution
Refers to the investigative and prosecutorial functions of public prosecutors (検察官). Often used in legal and news contexts.
検察は彼を起訴した。
The prosecution indicted him.
検察の捜査が続いている。
The criminal investigation by the prosecution is ongoing.
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb
Obsolete general sense for examination or investigation. In modern Japanese, this meaning is almost entirely replaced by 検査 or 調査, and 検察 is now used almost exclusively in the legal sense.
古文書には、役人が村を検察した記録が残る。
Old documents record that officials inspected the village.