JCP to launch membership/Akahata readership drive

The Japanese Communist Party held its 6th Central Committee Plenum from May 24-25 at the JCP head office in Tokyo and approved the Executive Committee proposal for a "United Effort" to ensure that the JCP will regain lost ground and achieve greater success in the coming parliamentary elections.

JCP Chair Shii Kazuo gave the keynote report on behalf of the JCP Executive Committee, proposing activities in preparation for the JCP 23rd Congress in November, focusing on a drive to increase JCP membership and Akahata readership.

In the discussion that followed the Executive Committee report, JCP Central Committee Chair Fuwa Tetsuzo spoke on some issues regarding international questions and Japan's foreign policy.

About 10,000 party members throughout the country listened to Chair Shii's report via the communication satellite broadcast, and some 1,000 wrote their comments on the report and sent them to the party central office by fax or e-mail.

Executive Committee report

In the Executive Committee report, Shii analyzed the U.S. Bush administration's dangerous strategy that began to unfold in the Iraq War and put forward tasks of the international community in opposition to the strategy. "The 21st century world will not be such a helpless world that would allow itself to be overcome by this tyrannical strategy," Shii said.

Referring to the anti-war movement that erupted throughout the world to stop the Iraq war, Shii stressed the importance of looking at the power of peace that influenced the international community and presented a vision for establishing international rules for building peace.

On the question of North Korea, Shii emphasized that the international community must make diplomatic efforts to urge North Korea to abandon its reliance on "a physical means of deterrence" and rejoin the international community by settling all lawless acts it carried out in the past. He warned that North Korea's 'military-first" position that involves nuclear development will damage the peace of Asia and even its own security.

On the war-contingency bills, which is now the focal issue in Japanese politics, Shii expressed that the JCP will do its utmost to scrap them. "Even if they are enacted, we must continue to fight to prevent the wartime laws, particularly the provisions that force Japan to assist U.S. forces, from being invoked," he added.

Shii pointed out that the Koizumi Cabinet is boxed up in terms of economic policy, and called for the movement to be further developed in opposition to cutbacks in social services and corporate restructuring.

In reviewing JCP activities in the recent elections, Shii reminded the CC members of the important role the JCP's political debate played. He also stated that JCP members plucked up their courage in the fight against anti-communist propaganda during the simultaneous local elections. "We increased the number of JCP seats when our campaign was joined by politically unaffiliated people," he said. But he also said that the JCP still falls short in the effort to make the party stronger.

Concluding remarks

The Executive Committee report was followed by a discussion in which 49 CC members spoke.

In the concluding remarks, Shii stated that "how to view the current situation" was a major point at issue in the Central Committee meeting.

In this regard, Shii emphasized the need for the party to gain a "scientific view" that would help grasp the situation in a grand historic perspective. Although U.S. hegemony seems to be very powerful, a "scientific view" will help us understand that humankind is making advances, he said.

Referring to discussions on the results of the simultaneous local elections, Shii pointed out that the argument that the JCP setback was simply due to a lack of party strength, without analyzing the weaknesses of activities, will never help achieve further JCP advances.

Stressing that activities in preparation for the coming elections in the Upper and Lower Houses need ambitious efforts, Shii said, "Forces of reaction are launching the hardest ever anti-communist attacks on the JCP to prevent its advance. But these attacks are fruitless. Once they are defeated, a bright perspective will be opened." (end)