Meanings
plural mini-independent countries
- rareIn Japan, a town or village that declares itself an independent country for means of regional development, such as economic growth from tourism.
The Kirikiri-koku – the first "mini-independent country".
1988 January 29, The Nihongo Journal, volume 3, number 1, Aruku Kabushiki Kaisha, page 121 more example
A mini-independent country called the "Republic of Tsuchinoko" was created and people from inside and outside the prefecture were invited to move there.
2023 October 13, Masami Kinoshita, “Yokai Report No. 1”, in The Japanese Yokai Handbook: A Guide to the Spookiest Ghosts, Demons, Monsters and Evil Creatures from Japanese Folklore, Tuttle Publishing, →ISBN, page 60Synonyms: independent mini-nation
Synonyms & antonyms
nounIn Japan, a town or village that declares itself an independent country for means of regional development, such as economic growth from tourism.
Origin
- Japaneseミニ独立国
- Englishmini-independent country
Calque of Japanese ミニ独立国 (minidokuritsukoku).
More words from Japanese
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
mini-independent country. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mini-independent%20country
“mini-independent country.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mini-independent%20country. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mini-independent country,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mini-independent%20country.
Source: mini-independent country on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.