～を契機に — Seizing the Turning Point

を契機に (or を契機として) is the formal, written counterpart of をきっかけに, marking an event as the opportunity or turning point that triggers a significant change. It is used for weightier, often societal or life-defining occasions such as retirement, disasters, or reforms. The following clause states the resulting change.

Examples

定年退職を契機に、田舎で暮らすことにした。

Teinen taishoku o keiki ni, inaka de kurasu koto ni shita.

Taking the opportunity of retirement, I decided to live in the countryside.

定年退職を契機に marks retirement as the significant turning point.

この事件を契機として、法律が改正された。

Kono jiken o keiki to shite, houritsu ga kaisei sareta.

Triggered by this incident, the law was amended.

を契機として presents the incident as the formal catalyst for reform.

震災を契機に、防災意識が高まった。

Shinsai o keiki ni, bousai ishiki ga takamatta.

The earthquake disaster prompted a rise in disaster-preparedness awareness.

震災を契機に marks the disaster as the pivotal triggering event.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～を契機に is tested against.

vs ～をきっかけに

をきっかけに is everyday and works for small personal triggers, while を契機に is formal and reserved for significant, weighty turning points.

vs ～に際して

に際して means 'on the occasion of (doing something)' and looks forward to an event, whereas を契機に marks an event as the cause of a resulting change.

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