 2005 JANUARY 5 - JANUARY 11 NEWS 60 YEARS AFTER WAR'S END, JCP WILL SHOW ITS WORTH TO ACHIEVE WORLD WITHOUT WARS JCP Executive Committee Chair Shii Kazuo in his New Year Assembly speech stated: "In this year that marks the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, the JCP must display its real value as a party that is carrying out the varied tasks of defending peace and social justice in the world and of frustrating the moves toward establishing a 'two party system.'" JAPAN'S MILITARY EXPENDITURE IN 2005 TO SERVE BUSH'S PREEMPTIVE ATTACK STRATEGY The draft budget causes serious concerns not only because of the amount but because of the items that will allow the Self-Defense Forces to be virtually transformed into armed forces that exist mainly for overseas deployment in contravention of the stated principle of "exclusively defensive defense." STOP THE SUPPRESSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY In flagrant violation of the constitutional rights, police arrested a man for distributing door to door flyers on Japanese Communist Party activities in local assemblies. JCP NEW YEAR ASSEMBLY * 60 years after the war's end, JCP will show its worth in the effort to achieve a world without wars (January 5) IRAQ * U.S. forces are destroying Iraq's conditions to hold election: JCP Shii (January 8) MILITARY EXPENDITURE  Japan's military expenditure in 2005 to serve Bush's preemptive attack strategy -- Akahata editorial, January 11CONSTITUTION * LDP and DPJ both call for constitutional revision (January 8) REPRESSION * Flyer suppression is not a matter of a party: peace groups (January 7) Stop the suppression of human rights and democracy -- Akahata editorial, January 7 (Excerpts)LABOR * Struggle continues to eliminate discrimination against workers based on ideology (January 6) * Zenroren proposes to make 2005 the year of a major change (January 8) EDUCATION * Fukushima to limit class size for all grades (January 6) * 1,900 people assemble in opposition to forcing 'Kimigayo' and 'Hinomaru' on teachers and students (January 11) AGRICULTURE * First common action calling for higher self-sufficiency in food takes place (January 6) DISABILITY * JCP motivates banks to install more ATMs for visually impaired (January 7) * Audio Sunday Akahata celebrates its 2,000th tape recording (January 11) NUCLEAR WEAPONS ABOLITION * First New Year action against A&H Bombs (January 7) |