Glossary
| Jinkakuken | health-related personal rights established in Japanese jurisprudence, partly through Article 13 of the Constitution of Japan. In the absence of explicit environmental rights, jinkakuken has often been invoked in antipollution litigation to protect victims’ health and the surrounding environment. |
| Judicial passivism | a judicial stance in which courts defer to the legislature and executive, refraining from substantial constitutional review unless a law is clearly unconstitutional. |
| LOS (legal opportunity structure) | an analytical framework used to assess the likelihood that a social movement will engage in legal mobilization. It examines three indicators: access to the courts, the content of existing law, and judicial receptiveness. |
| Standing | the legal requirement that a party has a sufficient connection to a case to participate in it. Also known as locus standi, capacity to sue, or proper party status. |
| Trias politica (separation of powers) | the division of governmental authority into three branches – legislative, executive, and judicial – each with distinct powers and responsibilities, preventing one branch from encroaching on another. |