August 18, 2021

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on August 17, asked by the press corps in the Diet building for his view regarding the situation in Afghanistan where the Taliban seized control of the Afghan presidential palace, said, "The current state proves that a war of retaliation against terrorism ends up in failure."

Shii stated, "The huge mistake the U.S. made with its retaliatory war has been proven after 20 years." He noted that immediately after the 9.11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center buildings, then JCP chair Fuwa Tetsuzo and he jointly sent heads of government a letter severely condemning terrorism and demanding a ban on military revenge. Shii said that in the letter, they had suggested that international police and judicial authorities be fully used based on the U.N. Charter and international law in order to arrest the suspects and that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

Shii went on to say, "At the time, we warned that the retaliatory war would only help diffuse terrorism, invite another war, and create a never-ending vicious cycle. We pointed out that innocent civilians would be victimized and that the war of retaliation is completely useless in eradicating terrorism. Events turned out as we had warned."

Shii said, "The U.S. administration should admit that the military response to the terrorist attacks was a fundamental mistake. At the same time, the Japanese government should be held responsible for having had a part in the U.S. retaliatory war by dispatching SDF troops to the Indian Ocean. Japan should change its attitude of sending its forces abroad in subservience to the United States. As the Taliban takes control of Afghanistan, the international community is concerned about possible human rights abuses. The need is for the international community as well as the U.S. administration to fulfill the responsibility to help finance the restoration of Afghanistan."

Regarding the response that should be taken by the international community, Shii said, "The world governments should stand by the principle of bringing suspected terrorists to justice and should work together in resolving the problem of poverty as this is a root cause of terrorism."