Controversy, controversial -- Japanese equivalents?


Are there good Japanese equivalents for controversial ("Trump is a
controversial figure") and controversy ("The high school's new admission
policy caused a huge controversy among both parents and students.")? I see
words like 問題, 議論, and 論争 in the dictionary but I'm not sure they capture the
English meaning and nuance.




I'd suggest
[物議を醸す](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E7%89%A9%E8%AD%B0%E3%82%92%E9%86%B8%E3%81%99-619098)
as a relative clause, as in トランプは物議を醸す政治家 (Trump is a controversial political
figure).

物議を醸す is an established saying, literally meaning "to brew controversy"

問題 simply means a problem, like a problem with car or a problem on a test, and
has nothing to do with controversy.

議論 is simply discussion, no overtone on the discussion being "controversial".
It can be a friendly 議論.

論争, or alternatively 争論, means an argument, aka a heated discussion where
people argue over an issue.

All these three words are nouns, and cannot be used directly as adjectives. If
you say 論争な事情 people will like be confused what do you mean.

Other than the idiomatic 物議を醸す, you can, however, say 論争を引き起こす, like
論争を引き起こすニュース, literally "News that brings up argument", aka "controversial
news"

