自主 and 独立: Self-initiated action and independence
Compare student-led or resident-run activities with leaving a family home and devices operating independently. Autonomy can describe a group activity.
A self-initiated group and resident-run service
自主 concerns independent initiative or voluntary action. 「学生が自主的に勉強会を開いた。」 says students voluntarily opened a study group.
「地域の図書室は住民の自主運営で支えられている。」 describes a local library maintained through residents’ independent operation. More than one person can jointly run an activity on their own initiative.
Independence in living or operation
独立 means independence. 「兄は実家を出て独立した。」 says the older brother moved out of the family home and became independent. It does not specify financial or legal conditions.
「二つの装置は互いに独立して動く。」 states that two devices operate independently of each other. The relationship between devices differs from a person’s independence in living.
Initiative and the relationship to other targets
自主 emphasizes taking initiative in an activity or its operation. 独立 emphasizes an independent relationship to another household or device. Self-initiated activity does not have to be solitary.
The students’ group and the residents’ operation do not imply rejection of all help. The device example likewise does not attribute a person’s voluntary intentions to the devices.
Does residents’ 自主運営 necessarily mean the operator works alone?
Show the answer and why
No. It describes residents running the service on their own initiative. They can do so together; working alone is not a stated condition.