No contingency legislation serving U.S. preemptive attacks

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on April 9 issued an urgent call for the struggle to be increased to stop the government's attempt to railroad through the bills to involve Japan in U.S. wars and force the Japanese people to cooperate in waging such wars.

"I want to call for efforts to quickly increase the struggle against this move to take advantage of the warlike atmosphere created by the Iraq war," Shii stated at a news conference in Tokushima City, criticizing the three governing parties for introducing their amended contingency bills before the House of Representatives.

Textual changes have been made in the bills apparently to avoid public criticism, but "the real aim of the bills remains unchanged, which is to pave the way for Japan's participation in U.S. wars outside Japan and mobilize the people to them," Shii added.

"The point is that the contingency bills have the danger of forcing Japan to assist in U.S. preemptive wars like the war on Iraq and the Japanese people into cooperating,' he said.

Referring to the parliamentary struggle against the contingency legislation, Shii said, "We will do all we can to set up cooperation by the four opposition parties in the face of the real danger of the contingency legislation being enacted while the Iraq war goes on," noting that the four opposition parties are unanimous in opposing the Iraq war without a clear mandate given by the United Nations. (end)