当局

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: Written 当局 and read とうきょく, it denotes the official authorities empowered to investigate or act on a particular matter.
• Basic usage: It appears in an accident inquiry and in requests for road-safety measures to the relevant bodies.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Authority by responsibility rather than name
  • The expression can identify the responsible public institutions without naming each agency.