Fuwa won't run for next election
The Japanese Communist Party has announced that Fuwa Tetsuzo, JCP Central Committee chair, will not seek re-election in the next House of Representatives general election.
On February 14, JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi announced that Fuwa was retiring as a Lower House member at a news conference held to release the first 30 names of JCP candidates for the Lower House proportional representation election.
In a separate news conference, Fuwa explained that he will continue to lead party activities in general but will leave parliamentary affairs to JCP Executive Committee Chair Shii Kazuo.
In the last 34 years as a member of parliament, Fuwa has taken on 18 prime ministers. He said, "I have a feeling that I've experienced the history of national politics and am well aware that parliamentary debates help to change politics."
Recalling his 11 terms to the Lower House, Fuwa expressed gratitude to his supporters and voters of Sumida, Koto, and Arakawa wards, which make up his Lower House constituency, for having continuously helped in his re-election.
Commenting with humor on the present Liberal Democratic Party, Fuwa said, "I want the LDP to become more appropriate for a more interesting JCP versus LDP match." (end)
