JCP calls for campaign to combat poverty and defend people's living standards

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JCP calls for campaign to combat poverty and defend people's living standards

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo in his report to the 3rd Central Committee Plenum pointed out that under the aberrant policy of giving priority to large corporations the increase in poverty and social disparity has become a major social problem.

Shii called for a nationwide campaign to defend the right to a minimum standard of living as guaranteed in Article 25 of the Constitution, a campaign to combat poverty and defend people's living standards in cooperation with a wide range of people irrespective of differences of their social strata.

He stressed that poverty as symbolized by the "working poor" is a problem confronted by all social strata, and not confined to a small part of the public.

Shii stated, "Taking into consideration the grim reality of increasing poverty today, I must say that combating poverty is a task that concerns the raison d'etre of the JCP as a party that dedicates itself to alleviate hardships of the public."

He emphasized the significance of this nationwide campaign, saying that this campaign has the potential of drastically changing the situation in Japan.
- Akahata, January 5, 2007