capital crime; crime punishable by death
A legal term for a crime that carries the death penalty. Used in historical and modern legal contexts.
江戸時代には、死罪にあたる罪が多く定められていた。
In the Edo period, many crimes were designated as capital crimes.
彼は死罪を宣告された。
He was sentenced to death.
Compound of 死 (death) and 罪 (crime). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used in Japanese legal contexts for centuries.