government

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 政 has 9 strokes and the on-reading せい. 政治 (せいじ) means politics; 政策 (せいさく) means policy.
• Basic usage: 政治 broadly concerns governing society; 政策 concerns an approach to a particular issue, such as transportation.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Political activity and individual policies
  • 政治に関心を持つ means taking an interest in politics. 地方の政治と暮らし occurs in a context about local politics and everyday life.
  • 交通政策 means transportation policy. 新しい政策の目的 refers to the purpose of a new policy, focusing on a particular approach rather than the overall activity of 政治.