JCP 7th CC Plenum ends after unanimously adopting draft revised Party Program

The 7th Central Committee Plenum of the Japanese Communist Party ended its three-day session on June 23 after unanimously adopting the draft revised JCP Program to be submitted to the 23rd Party Congress in November.

About 50 proposals and opinions were expressed by CC members on the proposed revision, and about 30 were adopted for amending the draft. Central Committee Chair Fuwa Tetsuzo responded to these opinions and gave detailed explanations on each question raised. (see separate item)

Fuwa made the concluding remarks on the discussion of the draft, which the Plenum unanimously adopted, as well as the draft revised Program.

Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi proposed convening the JCP 23rd Congress on November 22 with the following agenda items: the Congress resolution and the Central Committee report; revision of the JCP Program; and election of new CC member. The 7th CC Plenum approved this proposal. (end)

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)

Fuwa: Three points on draft revised Program

On the third and last day meeting on June 23 of the Japanese Communist Party Central Committee 7th Plenum, CC Chair Tetsuzo Fuwa gave the concluding remarks.

Fuwa said that 40 members spoke and that about 8,600 people across the country monitored the meeting via communication satellite broadcast. There were some 1,300 letters and phone calls expressing approval of the draft revised JCP Program and confidence in the party's theoretical stand.

Fuwa explained the following three main points of the proposed revision.

First, the revision is intended to make the theory of a democratic revolution more realistic and rational.

When the JCP in its 8th Congress in 1961 adopted the present Program formulating the theory of a democratic revolution, most of the communist parties in developed capitalist countries advocated a socialist revolution as their immediate task.

Fuwa pointed out that the policy of a democratic revolution which the JCP set forth played a pioneering role. Without precedent in the world and without the experience of a fully-fledged struggle in Japan, however, the formula was no more than a theoretical concept, he said. Fuwa stressed that building on party activities in the past 42 years, the proposed draft improves the approach by outlining a more realistic and rational undertaking.

On the agreement between a democratic coalition government and the tasks which it should carry out, Fuwa said that JCP struggles and activities in the past 42 years have enabled the JCP to understand more realistically the possible revolutionary course. Fuwa stressed that the elaboration of a revolutionary course reflects the JCP's activities and achievements in all aspects. He described the proposed revised Program as a valuable asset of the JCP.

Second, creative quests have enabled the JCP to envisage a future society.

In the discussion of the Program in 1961, the main focus was on the characterization of the immediate task of the revolution, not on socialism and communism. The 1961 Program presented just a general and dogmatic theory established internationally at the time.

Referring to the circumstances in which the internationally "established theory" saw a revolution in two phases, from socialism to communism, CC Chair Fuwa said that one is the justification by the former Soviet Union as being in a period of transfer to communism, following Stalin's declaration of achieving socialism in 1936 at the time of the enactment of the new Soviet Constitution. Fuwa said that another reason is that because the theory took its basis on Karl Marx's "Criticism of the Gotha Programme", the two-phased theory that came to be accepted as an established theory, without undergoing much discussion. Fuwa said that the proposed draft has boldly overcome the so-called established theory and envisaged socialism/communism through creative quests.

Fuwa said that the revision was essential in light of the need to make clear what a future form of socialism will bring about to humanity and to the Japanese people.

Third, the draft puts forward a view of the world in the 21st century.

In 1961 when the present JCP Program was adopted, the JCP depended basically on the statement made by the 1960 conference of representatives of 81 communist and workers' parties in assessing the world situation. In that conference, which was the first and last international session for the JCP to have attended, the JCP delegation did its best to amend the draft statement by proposing more amendments than any other party to improve paragraphs concerning the world situation. However, the original text was drafted by the Soviet Communist Party, and the Soviet view of the world was dominant in the conference, Fuwa said.

Fuwa summed up amendments made to the JCP Program after 1961: it deleted the theory on the general crisis of capitalism, included the struggle against Soviet hegemony as well as an assessment of the Soviet society after its collapse. However, these efforts were far short of a comprehensive review of the world, he stated.

The new draft deals with how to view the world situation from a new and comprehensive angle based on the argument concerning the 20th century with a perspective covering the 21st century. Each of the new definitions reflects the results of JCP international activities over the years. This is not an armchair theory, Fuwa stressed.

In the last part, Fuwa stated that the discussion on the new draft is attracting public attention. Making efforts to discuss the new program will make the party congress a success and benefit the party's future tasks, he said.

He called on all party members to actively take part in the discussion on the draft revised program, and make both the current JCP membership/Akahata readership drive and a major party advance in the elections for both houses a success.

Fuwa concluded his remarks by saying that the JCP is called upon to again make a nationwide advance now at the beginning of the 21st century similar to the one at the 8th Party Congress in 1961, with a new and bold resolution and the ambition for remaking Japan foremost in our minds. (end)