noun
self-determination of peoples
Political principle that a people or nation has the right to determine its own political status and form of government.
民族自決の原則は国際法の重要な柱の一つだ。
The principle of self-determination of peoples is one of the important pillars of international law.
Compound of 民族 (people, nation) and 自決 (self-determination). The term is a translation of the English phrase 'self-determination of peoples' and became widely used in the 20th century.