May 27, 2012
Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Koike Akira on a radio program aired on May 25 talked of the JCP principles and policies as well as how the party views large corporations.
The host of the political news show said that he had read through the JCP platform on the party website in advance, and asked Koike about the party’s goal to establish a society under socialism and communism.
Koike said, “Our party doesn’t look for a leapfrog change. What we think it’s necessary at first is a reform within the framework of capitalism such as narrowing the rich-poor gap and reducing the poverty rate.”
He pointed out that the monopoly capitalist system in the world is now reaching an impasse and spoke of new horizons that have opened up for a society which overcomes the crisis of capitalism by saying, “We humans can move forward to the next phase from the present society in which a small handful of people monopolize the wealth.”
As to the negative image associated with socialism, the JCP policy spokesman explained, “Socialism in our understanding is where democracy fully opens up to full participation by everyone and where respect for individual human rights and freedom triumphs. The repressive society under the former Soviet Union was completely different from socialism.”
Touching upon the collapse of the job market in Japan, Koike pointed a finger at the lack of proper working rules and regulations to restrict the replacement of fulltime workers with part timers and forced overtime work with excessive workloads.
He stated that it is necessary to circulate the internal reserves held by large corporations around the entire society in the form of payment of fair wages for wage-earners and of fair prices for subcontractors and smaller business owners, and that this will contribute to the promotion of the country’s economic growth.
The JCP policymaker added, “But, this doesn’t mean we are inherently hostile to large corporations,” and concluded, “What we are saying is that all corporations turning a profit should pay appropriate wages and taxes. They will be in trouble themselves if domestic demand continues on a downward trend, won’t they? It is not the Japan Business Federation but the JCP which takes into consideration a viable future for large corporations and the Japanese economy as a whole.”
The host of the political news show said that he had read through the JCP platform on the party website in advance, and asked Koike about the party’s goal to establish a society under socialism and communism.
Koike said, “Our party doesn’t look for a leapfrog change. What we think it’s necessary at first is a reform within the framework of capitalism such as narrowing the rich-poor gap and reducing the poverty rate.”
He pointed out that the monopoly capitalist system in the world is now reaching an impasse and spoke of new horizons that have opened up for a society which overcomes the crisis of capitalism by saying, “We humans can move forward to the next phase from the present society in which a small handful of people monopolize the wealth.”
As to the negative image associated with socialism, the JCP policy spokesman explained, “Socialism in our understanding is where democracy fully opens up to full participation by everyone and where respect for individual human rights and freedom triumphs. The repressive society under the former Soviet Union was completely different from socialism.”
Touching upon the collapse of the job market in Japan, Koike pointed a finger at the lack of proper working rules and regulations to restrict the replacement of fulltime workers with part timers and forced overtime work with excessive workloads.
He stated that it is necessary to circulate the internal reserves held by large corporations around the entire society in the form of payment of fair wages for wage-earners and of fair prices for subcontractors and smaller business owners, and that this will contribute to the promotion of the country’s economic growth.
The JCP policymaker added, “But, this doesn’t mean we are inherently hostile to large corporations,” and concluded, “What we are saying is that all corporations turning a profit should pay appropriate wages and taxes. They will be in trouble themselves if domestic demand continues on a downward trend, won’t they? It is not the Japan Business Federation but the JCP which takes into consideration a viable future for large corporations and the Japanese economy as a whole.”
