Young people volunteer to take part in JCP campaign

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Young people volunteer to take part in JCP campaign

Many young people are volunteering to work as Japanese Communist Party campaign staff members in response to a JCP call on its website. Some of them are joining the JCP or the Democratic Youth League of Japan (DYLJ) as they become more familiar with the JCP campaign.

A college student in Chiba Prefecture e-mailed the JCP head office saying, "I feel angry about and disappointed by the present state of Japan. Looking at the extortionate tuition fees or the employment problem, I can hardly say Japan is a highly developed country. The JCP can solve these issues, and so I want to do anything I can to help the JCP." He joined the DYLJ after listening to other young people talk about what the DYLJ is doing. He is now very active in the youth campaign.

Another college student in Tokyo said in an e-mail, "I got interested in your policies when I read a JCP flyer on the campus." After viewing a DVD featuring the DYLJ, the student decided to join the DYLJ. He said, "I understand the JCP policies putting priority on welfare services over the interests of corporate giants, and I want to know more about its employment and security policies." The student is now on the streets campaigning for the JCP.

A senior student in Tokyo also volunteered to work for the JCP via the Internet, saying, "The JCP takes care of people's lives more than the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan do. I want to volunteer to let as many people as possible know about the JCP." At a later date, the student decided to join the party by saying, "I think it's great that the JCP can speak up against U.S. hegemony."

A woman in her 30s, who recently lost her temporary job, sent an e-mail seeking to get information about JCP gatherings. Some DYLJ members visited her and invited her to join the youth league saying, "If politics changes, the way the people work will change, too." Her answer was, "Yes, I will work with you."

A vocational school student was also among those who applied to be a volunteer. The student said, "My friend told me that the JCP manifesto is the best of all the manifestos. He participated in a study meeting held by a JCP youth supporters' group and became a member of the DYLJ.

A woman in her 30s in Fukuoka Prefecture visited the local JCP office, saying, "I believe that the upcoming general election is very important, so I want to do something. She now appeals to passes-by from a JCP campaign van.

Listening to JCP Chair Shii Kazuo on a TV news show, a university student volunteered to work for the JCP in this election campaign. The student said, "I want to know more about the JCP's ideas, especially on Article 9 of the Constitution. By helping as an election campaign volunteer, I want to take a closer look at the JCP."

- Akahata, August 20, 2009