Refers to a legally recognized corporate body or association, often used in compound terms like 社団法人 (incorporated association).
The organization is registered as an incorporated association.
Establishing a corporation requires drafting articles of incorporation.
会社 is the everyday word for a business company, whereas 社団 is a formal legal term for a membership-based corporate body, not necessarily for-profit.
社団 is a corporate body based on a group of members, while 財団 is a corporate body based on a pool of assets (a foundation).
incorporated association; corporate juridical person
Compound of 社 (association, company) and 団 (group, body). The term is used in legal contexts to denote a corporate entity formed by a group of people.