legal capital; legal stock
A legal and accounting term referring to the minimum capital required by law for a company, or the capital stated in the articles of incorporation.
The legal capital of a stock company is set in the articles of incorporation at the time of establishment.
The minimum amount of legal capital is determined by the Companies Act.
資本金 is the general term for 'capital' or 'capital stock', while 法定資本 specifically refers to the legally required or stated capital.
Compound of 法定 (legal, statutory) and 資本 (capital). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term is a modern legal coinage.