JCP and SDP leaders will together attend May 3 Constitution rally

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo and Social Democratic Party Leader Doi Takako will attend the May 3 Constitution Day rally calling for opposition to the adverse revision of the Constitution.

It is the first time for the two leaders to meet at a Constitution Day rally.

The 2001 Constitution Rally will be held on May 3 in Hibiya Amphitheater in Tokyo, sponsored by the organizing committee consisting of various organizations which call for the defense of the Constitution.

JCP Shii told the press on April 12 that the JCP and the SDP, despite differences in stance between them, can join hands to stand against the adverse revision of Article 9, the overseas dispatch of Japan's Self-Defense Forces, and wartime legislation.

Although the SDP says Japan's Self-Defense Forces are constitutional and the JCP insists that they are unconstitutional, Shii said that the JCP sees points of JCP-SDP agreement as valuable and wants to make joint efforts with the SDP. (end)