Shii discusses JCP’s political tasks in preparation for Upper House election

   In an interview aired on April 24 on the communication satellite TV Asahi Newstar, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo spoke about the results of the second half of the nationwide simultaneous local elections, major issues in the upcoming House of Councilors election, and the extension of the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law. The interviewer was Honda Masaru, Asahi Shimbun political news senior writer.

Local election results show it is possible to achieve JCP advances in the Upper House election

Q: How do you sum up the results of the simultaneous local elections?

SHII Kazuo: We have achieved an important result in the second half of the elections. Overall, the JCP put up a strong fight in the two-part simultaneous local elections.

   The local elections took place under a new condition mainly due to the fact that the total number of local assembly seats has been reduced drastically following mergers and reorganizations of municipalities. In addition, in most prefectures and municipalities the JCP had to take on all the other parties, including the Liberal Democratic, Komei, and Democratic parties that furiously campaigned to defeat the JCP.

  In the first half of the local elections, the total number of JCP seats in prefectural assemblies decreased by 8 from the previous election, but increased by one in major cities. In the second half, the JCP successfully increased the share of its seats in city, town, and village assemblies. I think that these results show that the JCP has a greater possibility of advance in the House of Councilors election.

The question now is how to narrow the social gap

Q: What will you raise as major issues in the House of Councilors election?

SHII: First, we will raise the issue of “poverty and the social gap.” No one can deny that a “social gap” persists in Japan. The question is how to resolve it. I think there are three main ways to deal with this problem.

   First it is necessary to reform the taxation system to make the redistribution of income more equitable. Large corporations and the wealthy should be asked to shoulder a tax burden according to their ability to pay so that more tax money can be distributed to low-income earners. But this function of income redistribution has been weakening. The need now is to redress the present “upside-down tax system” that gives large corporations and the wealthy favorable treatment and forces ordinary working people to pay more in taxes.

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   Secondly, it is necessary to improve the living standards of the people by reversing the present policy of forcing the public to pay more and cutting back on social benefits, including pensions, medical services, and nursing care services, a policy that leaves many people unable to “maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living” as guaranteed by Article 25 of the Constitution.

   Thirdly, we must address the problem in which regulations for humane work are being destroyed. It is necessary to end the prevalence of lawlessness in the use of temporary workers and contract labor.

   If the government agrees to the need to narrow the social gap, it should address these three major causes.

‘Constitution’ is major issue

SHII: Revision of the Constitution will be a major issue. Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is determined to rewrite the Constitution during his tenure in office and to have the bill to establish the procedure for constitutional revision enacted in the current session of the Diet.

   We have pointed out that advocates of constitutional revision are trying to turn Japan into a country that can fight wars abroad by amending Article 9.

   We must also pay attention to the fact that constitutional revision is advocated by pro-Yasukuni Shrine forces who are refusing to reflect on, and are even justifying, the past Japanese war of aggression. Most of the members of the Abe Cabinet are part of the pro-Yasukuni Shrine forces. It is no wonder that Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shimomura Hakubun is publicly distorting history by stating, “There were no military comfort women.”

   Those forces that refuse to reflect on the Japanese war of aggression, mainly made up of pro-Yasukuni Shrine people, are advocating a constitutional revision that will make it constitutional for Japan to fight wars abroad. Far from being the road “Towards a Beautiful Country,” it is the road toward a “terrible nation.” In the coming House of Councilors election, we will work to thwart this reckless attempt and allow the war-renouncing Article 9 to guide peace diplomacy.

Prime Minister Abe must be true to his official statement regardless of his historical view

Q: In the run-up to his official visit to the United States during the May holidays, the prime minister spoke about Japan’s responsibility for the military “comfort women” issue.

SHII: He talks about “responsibility” and “apology” in general terms. In answer to my question about this issue in the Diet, the prime minister said he endorses the [then Chief Cabinet Secretary] Kono Yohei statement apologizing for the involvement of the Japanese military and government in forcing women in other Asian countries to serve as sex slaves. But he recently said, “There is no evidence to support the allegation that there was coercion” in forcing women to work as sex slaves. This remark clearly rejects the Kono statement. If he refuses to retract it, the problem will not be solved even if he says in general terms that he endorses the Kono statement. If he is really willing to apologize for the Japanese military comfort women, he must retract his statement.

Q: It has something to do with the government’s reluctance to speak about his in-depth historical view.

SHII: Before he took office, Mr. Abe stated his own historical view. It was based on Yasukuni Shrine’s view of history that justifies Japan’s war of aggression. This is why after he became prime minister, we said to him, “You should not put your personal historical view before everything, no matter what it is, only to damage the national interests” The prime minister has sealed his own view and stated in the Diet that he will stand by the Murayama statement (in 1995, marking the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II) and Kono statement (in 1993 about the military comfort women). But he sometimes reveals his true colors. It is necessary to have him put his public statement in action.

Whither Japan after ‘breaking away from the postwar regime’?

SHII: “Breakaway from the postwar regime” is Prime Minister Abe’s slogan. It is an extraordinary phrase. “Regime” literally means system of government. Columbia University Professor Gerald Curtis said, “What does he mean by breaking away from the postwar regime?” Given the fact that Japan’s postwar socio-political system is based on pacifism, popular sovereignty, and fundamental human rights, breaking away from it will mean bringing Japan back to the prewar regime.

Q: Don’t you think that the “comfort women” issue has weakened Japan’s position vis-a-vis the United States?

SHII: Japan’s moral position has weakened in its relations not only with the United States but with the rest of the world. It is reasonable for the Japanese government to call for the resolution of the issue of North Korea’s abductions of Japanese citizens. We are also strongly supporting this call. It is also reasonable to question why the Japanese government is reluctant to express remorse for Japan’s past human rights violations. The Washington Post sharply criticized this stance in an editorial entitled, “Shinzo Abe’s Double Talk.”

Q: These are very harsh words, aren’t they?

SHII: Yes, the editorial criticized the Japanese government’s double standard regarding human rights in the abduction and historical issues. In the United States, Japan is seen as having double standards regarding human rights issues because of its different attitudes toward the historical issue and the ongoing abduction issue. Under such circumstances, the Japanese prime minister’s call for “breaking away from the postwar regime” will give rise to concerns that he is trying to bring back Imperial Japan.

Q: “Breaking away from the postwar regime” could also mean breaking away from the Japan -U.S. Security Treaty setup.

Iraq war must be scrutinized

Q: The bill to extend the Special Measures Law on Iraq was submitted to the Diet.

SHII: We are opposed to the extension of the law. The Japanese government should scrutinize the four years of the Iraq war, the military occupation of Iraq, and killings in Iraq as well as the cause of the war, plus the Japanese government’s role in supporting them. It must also have an accurate understanding of the current situation in Iraq. Based on a thorough review of the last four years, the government should carefully examine its future course, and abolish the special measures law.                  - Akahata, April 26, 2007