minor imprisonment; imprisonment without hard labor
Obsolete legal term from the former Japanese Penal Code, referring to a lighter form of imprisonment without compulsory labor. Contrasts with 重禁錮 (major imprisonment).
See also: 重禁錮 (じゅうきんこ)
Under the old Penal Code, minor imprisonment was a lighter punishment than major imprisonment.
重禁錮 was the heavier form of imprisonment, often with hard labor, while 軽禁錮 was the lighter form without hard labor.
禁錮 is the general term for imprisonment without hard labor under the current Penal Code; 軽禁錮 is the obsolete lighter variant.
Standard kanji form using 禁錮 (imprisonment).
Variant using 禁固; 固 is a common simplification of 錮 in legal contexts.
Compound of 軽 (light, minor) and 禁錮 (imprisonment), reflecting its status as a lesser form of imprisonment in the historical Japanese legal system.