Kōkūtai

Kokutai (国体^?, "national body/structure") is a politically-loaded word in the Japanese language translatable as "system of government", "sovereignty", "national identity, essence, and character", "national polity; body politic; national entity; basis for the Emperor's sovereignty; Japanese constitution". The word is also a short form of the (unrelated) name for the National Sports Festival of Japan.

Kokutai originated as a Sino-Japanese loanword from Chinese guoti (Chinese: ; pinyin: guótǐ; "state political system; national governmental structure"). The Japanese compound word joins koku (國, "country; nation; province; land") and tai (體, "body; substance; object; structure; form; style"). According to the Hanyu Da Cidian, the oldest guoti usages are in two Chinese classic texts. The 2nd century BCE Guliang zhuan (榖梁傳; "Guliang's Commentary") to the Spring and Autumn Annals glosses dafu (大夫; "high minister; senior official") as guoti metaphorically meaning "embodiment of the country". The 1st century CE Book of Han history of Emperor Cheng of Han used guoti to mean "laws and governance" of Confucianist officials.

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