Fuwa explains proposal for revised JCP program

At the Japanese Communist Party Central Committee 7th Plenum on June 21, CC Chair Fuwa Tetsuzo on behalf of the JCP Executive Committee reported on the draft of the revised JCP Program which will be adopted at the JCP 23rd Congress in November.

Fuwa stated that the proposed revision is intended to make the JCP Program easier for the public to understand, a promise the JCP made at its 22nd Congress, and to build on the domestic political developments as well as the development of the JCP's theoretical and political activities over the last 42 years since the JCP adopted the present program in 1961.

Amendments to the JCP Program were made in 1973, 1976, 1985, and 1994. The revision proposed at this time is designed to reflect the characteristics of the 21st century and the JCP's theoretical and political achievements, Fuwa said.

Moving on to specific changes, Fuwa first dealt with the definition of the present-day situation relating to Japan.

The present JCP program gives a two-tier definition, stating that although Japan is a highly developed capitalist country, it is virtually a dependent country controlled by U.S. imperialism and that, "Fundamentally, Japan today is controlled by U.S. imperialism and its subordinate ally--Japanese monopoly capital."

Fuwa pointed out that even though the definition of forces that are in control of Japan has a historical meaning in terms of showing the direction of the struggle to end Japan's subordination to the United States and the arbitrary control of business circles, it poses various problems if we are to understand the future reform and struggles more accurately. For this reason, the proposed revision adopts the first proposition which clearly shows the two sides of Japan's current situation, Fuwa said.

Fuwa gave a detailed explanation on an important change in the proposed paragraph concerning the emperor system. The draft eliminates the definition that the emperor system is a "sort of bourgeois monarchy" or "monarchy" from paragraphs relating to post-war changes and future democratic reform, and emphasizes the need to strictly comply with the constitutional provision that the emperor "shall not have powers related to government." Fuwa pointed out that defining the present emperor system as a kind of "bourgeois monarchy" is misleading with regard to sovereign power. He explained the differences between the constitutional monarchy in Britain and Japan's state system.

One of the major issues in Fuwa's report regarding the world situation was the definition of "imperialism". The draft stresses the danger posed by "U.S. imperialism" in today's world. Fuwa said that regarding monopoly capitalism as "imperialism" no longer fits in with the present-day world because the colonial system has already gone and the new international order does not condone colonization. He explained that the use of the term "imperialism" is appropriate when it is used to describe a country's policy and behavior which is connected wuth aggression in a systematic fashion. It is in this sense, Fuwa said, that the draft characterizes the present U.S. world strategy as "U.S. imperialist". He added, "The JCP does not have a fixed view of the future of the United States." The U.S. control over Japan is obviously imperialistic, but if the Unites States agrees to break off the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty in the future, a Japan-U.S. relationship can be established free of imperialistic grips even if the United States is under monopoly capitalism, said Fuwa.

In the section dealing with a "democratic revolution and a democratic coalition government", Fuwa explained the concept of the relationship between a democratic revolution and democratic reforms to be carried out. Unlike the "immediate action program" in the present JCP Program concerning the needs of every stratum and field, the proposed revised program presents democratic reforms needed by Japanese society in three areas: national independence and security and foreign policy; the Constitution and democracy; and economic democracy.

Concerning a united front that carries out this revolution and a united front government, Fuwa said that the draft presents the concept in a more concise form. He said that a democratic coalition government would be a government that implements democratic reforms in the revolution. This means that the central political goal at this stage is for the Japanese Communist Party and the united front forces to obtain a stable majority in parliament and to work to establish a democratic coalition government. Fuwa stressed that the JCP's theoretical achievements since the 1960s and its deep analysis of the path to revolution concludes: A cause of social progress advocated since the time of Karl Marx is a revolution through winning a majority in parliament.

The fifth and final part on the path towards a socialist/communist society, CC Chair Fuwa stated, was entirely rewritten. The reason for the change is that the relevant part of the present Program based on the internationally accepted theory of the 1950s, in which the two-phase theory on the development of a communist society in Marx's "Critique of the Gotha Programme" was adopted, has exposed some major problems through a more fundamental study of Marx's ideas of a future society.

Based on the new findings, the draft revised program uses the term "socialist/communist society" to describe a future society. Fuwa in this regard explained the need to discuss future society mainly in terms of socialization of the means of production instead of method of distributing products.

Having given a theoretical explanation to this question, Fuwa took up some points to note, which the draft stresses in relation to the course to be taken towards socialist change. He also referred to aspects in which the Soviet-style "socialism" has gone wrong and turned into a reppressive society which had nothing in common with socialism.

In closing, Fuwa stressed that a quest for a future society in the 21st century Japan will emerge while various similar quests are converging in the world. He called for the party's struggle with conviction that the 21st century will mark an epoch for the history of the Japanese people through their united efforts and wisdom, and that the draft revised program to be proposed to the 23rd Congress of the Japanese Communist Party should operate as an effective guide to that change. (end)