JCP 2nd CC Plenum aspires for deeper ties with people

Japan Press Weekly

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JCP 2nd CC Plenum aspires for deeper ties with people

The Japanese Communist Party held its 2nd Central Committee Plenum on September 25-27 at its head office in Tokyo. Chair Shii Kazuo delivered a report on the present political scene, party buildup, and future election strategy after summing up the results of the House of Councilors election and what lessons the JCP learned from that election. The JCP CC Plenum was streamed live on the Internet, gaining nationwide attention.

Make a political change

Shii first pointed out that the Japanese business community initiated an attempt to create a “two party system (Liberal Democratic Party and Democratic Party of Japan)” in order to form a “strong anticommunist regime” under the control of the business circles and forces subservient to the United States. Starting from 2003, he outlined this attempt in chronological order: when the financial circles began pushing for a “two party system”; the period up to the advent of the DPJ government; and before and after the 2010 House of Councilors election. Shii pointed out that during the election campaign period, the DPJ government led by Prime Minister Kan Naoto increased its loyalty to the Japanese business society and the United States and that Kan has in effect become “an executor of old-style LDP politics”. However, the JCP has been working hard to confront this retrogressive government head on while offering proposals on how to make a breakthrough in the impasse facing society and politics.

Looking back on the past seven years, Shii stated: “In the midst of the process to establish a “two party system”, a massive campaign to exclude minor parties, which are unlikely to participate in power anytime soon, from being possible voters’ choices of political parties has been taking place. The campaign is working as an obstacle towards a JCP advance. Yet, the JCP has not gained enough strength to overcome this difficulty. At the same time, the scenario drawn up by the financial community to initiate a “two party system” is not going according to schedule and even seems to be fraying at the edges. Through the actual change of government, the hollowness of changing a government when either side is in the same political game is being seen by more and more people. People are looking for a new political direction.”

He emphasized the need to look at the present political phase from a broader perspective and said, “There will be challenges ahead, but we can show a bright outlook while exposing the contradictions among the business circles and other forces subservient to the United States.” Shii called for more efforts in order for the JCP to come into its own as a revolutionary party.

Problems Japan faces and vitality of JCP Program

Shii said that based on the JCP Program, we can solve any problems the Japanese society is facing in accordance with people’s hopes, and can also offer the people a bright prospect for getting out of the dead-end situation. Shii explained in detail the vital role of the JCP Program from four aspects: overcoming the economic crisis; solving the financial crisis; dealing with issues of U.S. bases and the national security; and achieving a “world without nuclear weapons”.

As a direct and international factor in the abrupt appreciation of the yen, Shii cited the inflow of enormous amounts of speculative money into Japan. In addition, as a fundamental factor, Shii pointed out the distorted structure of the Japanese economy with a handful of large exporting companies carrying out perpetual cost-cutting measures to strengthen their international competitiveness at the expense of workers and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

To address this issue, Shii called on the government to take immediate measures to protect jobs and SMEs from the negative effects of the strong yen, change its economic policy from one of depending on foreign demand to one led by the household economy and domestic demand, and fundamentally reform the “strong yen-prone” economic structure. Shii said that the government should appeal to the international community to launch an effort to regulate speculation in foreign exchange worldwide.

Shii also said that the JCP will do its utmost to achieve Iha Yoichi’s victory in the Okinawa gubernatorial election slated for November.

- Akahata, September 26, 2010