black curtain; wirepuller; mastermind; backroom manipulator
inevitable; inescapable; unavoidable
insult; affront; slight; contempt (e.g. of court)
(mental) agony; anguish; suffering; distress
subordinate; underling; henchman; minion
I would rather; I would as lief do; strong preference
to betray; to turn traitor to; to double-cross
Swords and Firearms Control Law (1958)
violation; offense; offence; breach; transgression; infringement
custom; made or built to order; customs (government agency)
due to the nature of one's job; because of one's line of work
begging for one's life; pleading for one's life
guts; pluck; nerve; spirit
small; little; slightly less than; just about; somewhat; somehow
(a) dose; (a) puff; (a) smoke; lull; short rest
relationship; relation; terms (good, friendly, etc.)
staunch; hardcore; dyed-in-the-wool; metal reinforcement
rehabilitation; remaking one's life; rebirth; regeneration; coming back to life; revival
service; duty; business; Buddhist religious services
something heard for the first time; hearing something for the first time
every person; each one; everybody
unbroken; endless; continuous
national language; Japanese language (often as a school subject in Japan); native Japanese words (as opposed to loanwords)
guidance; leadership; instruction; shido (disciplinary action for a minor infringement of the rules of judo)
contrary; opposite; inverse; reverse; back-to-front
pin (e.g. hairpin, bowling pin, golf pin, etc.); one (on dice, in cards, etc.); beginning; best; kickback
count; counting; count of balls and strikes; count (after a knock-down in boxing); count (of radioactivity)
development; evolution; expansion; spreading out; expansion (of an algebraic expression); development (of a three-dimensional shape)
reconstruction; reorganization; reorganisation; reconstitution; reconfiguration
to fall to one's knees; to go down on one's knees (e.g. to express respect)
coloring; colouring; color scheme; colour scheme; (touch of) colour; embellishment
flow of time; flux of time; lapse of time; current of the times; trend of the times
counter for drops of liquid
to begin to dance; to break into a dance
to form; to shape; to make; to mold; to mould; to build up
to wither (of a plant); to be blasted; to die; to mature (of one's personality, abilities, etc.)
to do exactly what one is told to do; to be subservient; to be easily controlled
to join hands together; to join forces; to collaborate
to trap (into a difficult situation); to put (in a fix); to capture (a castle, fortress, etc.); to take; to drop (something) into
to defend oneself; to protect oneself