JCP Central Committee starts major membership/readership drive

The Japanese Communist Party Central Committee on October 20 decided to
launch a united effort to increase membership and Akahata readership with a
view to making an JCP advance in the next general election.

The JCP CC 3rd Plenum after a two-day discussion unanimously approved the
Executive Committee report and the concluding remarks by Executive Committee
Chair Shii Kazuo and the speech by Central Committee Chair Fuwa Tetsuzo.
Forty-four members spoke in the discussion.

In the concluding remarks, Shii said, "The Executive Committee report and
CC Chair Fuwa's speech were received enthusiastically by CC members, and by
many party members who listened to the proceedings via communication
satellite broadcast."

Overcoming the setbacks the JCP suffered in the July 29 House of
Councilors election was one of the major tasks discussed in the 3rd CC
Plenum.

Shii noted with satisfaction that the proposal for a major
membership/readership drive was warmly received by not only CC members but
many of the CS audience.

He said, "True, the drive calls for tremendous efforts to be made by all
members, but I'm convinced that conditions are ripe for fulfilling the
task."

The JCP organized a major party membership/readership drive twice in the
past. The first one was immediately after the end of the War, and the other
after the establishment of the party program (1960). "Compared with these
two drives, the one we are about to tackle is based on achievements the JCP
has made under the present political line," Shii said.

He stressed that this effort is dedicated to building a party capable of
establishing a democratic government, which the JCP 22nd Party Congress
called for. (end)