federation of states; confederation of nations
break in time; interruption; pause
leader (of an alliance); leading power
to become loose; to slacken (e.g. rope); to become less tense; to relax; to slacken (e.g. coldness, supervision); to become lax; to become softer (e.g. ground, facial expression)
skirmish; brush (with the enemy); small fight with a military enemy; squabble; quarrel; brief argument
both countries; Ryōgoku (area of Tokyo)
border; boundary; turning point; watershed; area; region
north and south; north to south; South Korea and North Korea
to divide; to separate; to share; to distribute; to distinguish
rising water (of river, lake, etc.); swelling water; increased water; high water
riparian works; flood-control works
water damage; flood disaster
fertile; rich; productive
formulation (of a plan, policy, etc.); decision; settling on
to be unusual (of a person or of a thing); to be uncommon; to be peculiar; to be crazy; to be eccentric; to be different
river management; river improvement; flood control
significant; useful; meaningful; worthwhile; valuable; of interest
to send or direct a person to
collision; crash; running into; conflict; quarrel; clashing
invasion; raid; attack; visitation (of a calamity)
southernmost tip (point, extremity, etc.)
northern part; the north (of a region)
southern part; the south (of a region)
neighboring countries; surrounding countries
at a loss for what to do; at one's wits' end; having no choice
whole nation; whole land; whole country
to take the blame; to take responsibility; to assume liability; to bear the burden
suitable person; well-qualified person; responsible party; responsible person
merger; joining into one; amalgamation; melding; merging; annexation
divide and rule; divide and conquer
rule of an occupying power
morale (of troops, team, etc.); esprit de corps
fall; decline; string apron; ornamental cords hanging from the front of a sumo wrestler's belt; food offering to the gods; leftovers
accession to the throne; enthronement
to stop midway; to interrupt
laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
to bite into (e.g. rope into skin); to cut into; to eat into; to encroach; to be wedged (i.e. underwear pulled from the back, driving it between the buttocks)
to get involved or entangled in; to get mixed up in; to have something to do with; to have dealings with
if one is unlucky; if one is careless; if things don't go well
winning streak; good time to make a profit
somehow; for some reason; without knowing why
to hear; to hear by chance; to hear by accident; to catch (the sound)
person of lofty virtue; man of noble character; perfect person; saint
noble; lofty; high-minded; virtuous; upright