JCP chair calls for Lower House to be dissolved for general election

The Japanese Communist Party Central Committee held its 4th Plenum on June 5 and 6 at the JCP Head Office in Tokyo.

JCP Executive Committee Chair Shii Kazuo gave the executive committee report.

Referring to the recent political developments, Shii stated that Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro's cabinet has already lost the people's confidence as shown by the sharp decline in its support rates. "Koizumi's strategy to retain the people's trust under the rhetoric of 'reform' has failed miserably, and Japan's politics is entering a new phase of turmoil," Shii said.

In analyzing the over one year of the Koizumi Cabinet, Shii said that the Liberal Democratic Party revealed its inability to manage state affairs in every field, as evidenced by graft and corruption prevailing over economic and foreign policies.

Referring to Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda Yasuo's remarks suggesting that the Three Non-nuclear Principles might be altered, Shii said, "This amounts to abandoning the public pledge of the government of the only A-bombed country in the world. These remarks are enough to disqualify the Koizumi Cabinet to run the government."

Shii said that the JCP played a major role in disclosing the true colors of the Koizumi Cabinet and to pursue constructive developments, as shown in parliamentary debates over scandals concerning Suzuki Muneo and the secret funds.

He also stressed that in addition to its efforts in parliament, the JCP played a role as an organizer of struggles to defend peace and improve the living conditions of the people, working with grassroots efforts throughout the country.

Shii said that the biggest failure of the Koizumi Cabinet is that the prime minister in the House of Councilors election stole the people's expectations by his promise to "change the LDP" and betrayed his words.

He expressed a JCP determination to continue parliamentary and mass struggles opposing the bad government in an effort to corner the government into dissolving the House of Representatives. And in an ensuing general election, the JCP should call on the people to vote for the JCP as the last blow to the Koizumi coalition government and the surest path to political change.

On the three contingency bills, Shii stressed the need for the people to know that the bills allow the Self-Defense Forces to use forces abroad and compel the people to cooperate in war.

Shii said that in a historical context the three contingency bills bring to a new qualitative level the danger of the Japan-U.S. joint operations based on the Japan-U.S. military alliance, which will turn Japan into a nation fighting wars abroad.

As regards the JCP organizational strength, Shii stressed the need to put the membership/readership drive on a track toward a full-scale advance.

Shii concluded the report by referring to the historical assets which the JCP has created in the 80 years since its foundation. He called for an all-out effort to observe the JCP 80th founding anniversary to achieve new advances in the JCP membership, Akahata readership, and vote-getting strength. (end)