を契機(けいき)に is a grammar construction made up of を, the noun 契機(けいき) ‘chance’ or ‘trigger’ and に. It is a formal pattern that is used to indicate some sort of trigger and may be translated ‘(A) led to (B)’, ‘as an opportunity to (A), (B)’, or ‘as a result of (A), (B)’. (A) may either be a positive or negative event, but will usually be something extremely big in terms of life, or current/historical events in the world.
を契機(けいき)に will be seen after nouns, or verbs that have been nominalized with either の or こと.
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子供(こども)が生(う)まれたのを契機(けいき)に、パチンコをやめることに決(き)めた。
I decided to quit pachinko as a result of my child being born.
移動(いどう)制限(せいげん)が緩和(かんわ)されたことを契機(けいき)に、観光客(かんこうきゃく)の数(かず)が増(ふ)えた。
The travel restriction being eased led to an increase of tourists.
彼女(かのじょ)は出産(しゅっさん)を契機(けいき)に、会社(かいしゃ)を辞(や)めた。
She quit her job as a result of giving birth.
Alternatively, にして or として may replace に without any change in the overall meaning.
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田中(たなか)さんは入院(にゅういん)を契機(けいき)にして、タバコを止(や)めました。
Tanaka-san being hospitalized led him to quit smoking.
大統領(だいとうりょう)の暗殺(あんさつ)を契機(けいき)として、戦争(せんそう)が始(はじ)まった。
The assassination of the president led to a war.
Caution - Unlike
をきっかけに,
を契機(けいき)に will almost exclusively be used in relation to some turning point or critical juncture. Due to this, it can sound quite unnatural when used to express a trigger that would not be considered a big event.
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先輩(せんぱい)が楽(たの)しそうに料理(りょうり)をしている姿(すがた)を見(み)たのをきっかけに、私(わたし)も料理(りょうり)を始(はじ)めることにした。
Seeing my senpai enjoy cooking led me to start cooking too. (Natural Japanese)
先輩(せんぱい)が楽(たの)しそうに料理(りょうり)をしている姿(すがた)を見(み)たの を契機(けいき)に、私(わたし)も料理(りょうり)を始(はじ)めることにした。
Seeing my senpai enjoy cooking led me to start cooking too. (Unnatural Japanese)