 Osaka Akahata Festival attracts 18,000 people About 18,000 people attended the 22nd Osaka Akahata Festival October 23-2 4 in Osaka City, enjoying the sense of solidarity as well as the political and cultural programs. Ichida Tadayoshi, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat head, gave the main speech calling for the construction of a larger and stronger JCP with broad grassroots ties with the public. He emphasized that "a two-party system cannot defend peace or improve the living conditions of the Japanese people. Political programs included a symposium on how to get along with the rest of the world by defending the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution. Hashimukou Rina, a 20-year-old woman who attended the festival for the first time said, "Ichida's speech has made me realize that the JCP is the only party that is truly with us. Despite its recent setback in the Diet election, the JCP's presence continues to be very significant in Japanese politics." (end) |