 JCP emphasizes it has program for change: JCP Shii Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Shii Kazuo on October 12 emphasized that the JCP, as a party with positive policies and the capacity for achieving political change, is called upon to do all it can to meet the needs of the people. Shii made this statement at a JCP Dietnmembers' general meeting held prior to the opening of the Extraordinary Session of the Diet on October 12. Some of the points he made are as follows: - The Liberal Democratic Party government of Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro has shown its complete inability to meet public needs in domestic politics and foreign relations. - In foreign relations, the prime minister, who has been faithfully following the United States, now says his position on the issue of Iraq's "weapons of mass destruction" is different from that of the United States, thus revealing his lack of consistency. - The ruling LDP's absence from the recent International Conference of Asian Political Parties in Beijing shows how isolated the LDP is in Asia and the rest of the world. - The Extraordinary Diet Session must address the issue of money politics. It should thoroughly investigate the 100-million yen in illegal donation the LDP received from the Japan Dental Association. - The JCP will fight to revoke the adversely revised pension system which was enacted in this year's Ordinary Diet Session. The JCP will continue to insist that the Diet should concentrate on a pension system that benefits all Japanese citizens. - The issue of U.S. military bases in Japan is an urgent issue as the United States carries out the so-called global U.S. military "transformation". The cabinet must demand their reduction and removal. - Ignoring public sentiment, the Koizumi Cabinet is pushing ahead with the privatization of postal services in response to the demands of major banks. - LDP politics have failed to deal with any substantial matters both in and outside of Japan. Underlying this are its subservience to the United States and dedication to major corporations, distorting Japan's politics. (end) |