September 25 & 26, 2014
Yamashita: JCP contributes to success of ICAPP’s general assembly
September 25, 2014
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Yamashita Yoshiki told reporters on September 24 in the Diet building that the JCP delegation greatly contributed to the success of the eighth general assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) which was held from September 18 to 21 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Yamashita said that JCP Chair Shii Kazuo in his speech (Read the full-text below) at the assembly called on participants to step up efforts to expand international frameworks for peace and cooperation like the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) across Asia as well as to appeal to the global community to promptly start negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention. He noted that the ICAPP Standing Committee put forward to the assembly a draft declaration reflecting Shii’s proposal, which was unanimously adopted on the final day.
JCP executives attend China’s National Day reception
September 26, 2014
Two Japanese Communist Party executives and the head of its affiliate institute on September 25 attended a reception held at a Tokyo hotel to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
JCP Secretariat Head Yamashita Yoshiki, JCP Vice Chair Ogata Yasuo, and JCP Social Sciences Institute Director Fuwa Tetsuzo offered their congratulations to Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua.
The three had friendly talks with Japanese and foreign guests.
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Followings are the full-text of a speech by JCP Chair Shii Kazuo in the ICAPP general assembly in Sri Lanka and an interview on Sunday Akahata:
Cooperation for Peace in Asia and a World without Nuclear Weapons
Remarks at the 8th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties
Colombo, Sri Lanka
September 2014
Kazuo Shiii
Japanese Communist Party Chair
Member of the House of Representatives of Japan
ICAPP and the potential of an “Asian Community”
Mr. Chairperson and dear friends,
On behalf of Japanese Communist Party, I congratulate on the success of this 8th General Assembly of the ICAPP and express my solidarity with fellow delegates from across Asia.
The Assembly here in Colombo has its main theme: Building Asian Community. I think this theme is a very welcome topic.
Through 20th century into 21st century, Asia has undergone a historical shift from division and antagonism to cooperation and peace. The ICAPP, which was born in this region, has developed as a forum open to all political parties in Asia from across the ideological spectrum. It has played an important role for dialogues, confidence-building, amity, cooperation and peace in Asia and beyond. I am confident that this fact itself clearly shows the potential of an” Asian Community”.
I hope this 8th General Assembly will open a new chapter of the advancement of the ICAPP based on the achievement of the previous assemblies.
I would like to speak on 2 topics today. First is cooperation for peace in Asia. Second is a nuclear weapons-free world.
Proposing an initiative for Peace and Cooperation in North East Asia
Dear friends,
Regarding to our theme-- building an Asian community--, it is important to recognize that this region already has drivers for peace based on the United Nations Charter. Those are frameworks of regional cooperation of nations for peace developing in various parts in our region.
Especially, we pay attention to efforts and achievements by nations in South East Asia. The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) to ensure renunciation of use of force and peaceful solution of conflicts, as well as ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), East Asia Summit (EAS), the Treaty of Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone in South East Asia, and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) as multi-layered frameworks for peace and security. Moreover, it has been extended beyond the region.
All these efforts and achievements are very different from relying on an exclusive military block which has potential enemies. Instead, these are all inclusive and open to all nations in the region and beyond. This is a developing regional cooperation for peace. Enhanced dialogues and confidence-building to avoid escalation of conflict into war is a key practical aspect as peaceful solution of any conflict. Differences in political and social systems, phases of economic development, cultures are mutually respected. Unity in diversity is a key organizing concept. These efforts of ASEAN member states give us indeed rich and fruitful lessons.
Turning to the North East Asia region where we Japanese live, there are various potential sources of conflicts and tension. How to create an environment for peace in the region is a serious challenge not only for nations in North East Asia but also for peace and stability of the entire Asia.
What would happen if we embraced ideas of enhancing military deterrence or strengthening military power in addressing various conflicts? A possible result would be a vicious circle of dangerously intensifying the tension in the military affairs. Any problem should be solved through peaceful means based on solid and rational diplomacy. What we need is to create frameworks to that end.
Japanese Communist Party proposed a new initiative for Peace and Cooperation in North East Asia in the 26th party congress in January this year. This initiative is based on the following goals and principles.
- Conclude a Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in North East Asia as rules for peace which member states need to abide by, including renunciation of the use of force, peaceful resolution of conflicts, non-interference in internal affairs, and promotion of effective dialogues and cooperation for confidence building.
- On North Korean issue, return to the Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks issued in September 2005, create a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, realize a comprehensive solution on nuclear weapons, missiles, and the abduction issue as well as unsolved historical issues, and develop this framework into one that can create and maintain peace and stability in North East Asia.
- Stick to diplomatic negotiations in a calm manner based on historical facts and international law as means to solve territorial disputes existing in the region. Strictly refrain from actions that could escalate into conflicts, such as any forcible change in the status quo and use or threat to use force, and conclude a code of conduct for the countries concerned to solve conflicts through friendly consultations and negotiations in accordance with the international law.
- Japan's remorse over its past war of aggression and colonial rule is the essential basis to develop amity and cooperation in North East Asia. Swiftly solve Japan's military sexual slavery issue and other unsolved issues and block the rise of adverse forces trying to falsify the historical record.
For an Asian Community for peace, amity, cooperation and prosperity
Dear Friends,
Our proposal is not an idealistic rhetoric. Our proposal follows the achievements of ASEAN regional cooperation for peace based on the TAC.
We also pay attention to some proposals for regional cooperation for peace in North East Asia from several governments in East Asia. President Park Geun-hye of Republic of Korea proposed an initiative for peace and cooperation in North East Asia in her speech in the Unites States Congress. Her proposal included process of multilateral dialogue in the entire North East Asia and a mechanism for peace and cooperation. The government of Indonesia has called for a treaty of amity and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. This is part of an effort to expand cooperation for peace in South East Asia to the entire indo-pacific. The ASEAN ministerial meeting in August welcomed the Indonesian proposal.
These proposals share the same direction of ours. A new initiative for peace and cooperation in North East Asia, as we propose, is a practical and fundamental way to bring about peace and stability in the region. With this belief, I express my determination to share this view with a wide range of governments and political parties so that it will eventually come true.
The draft Colombo Declaration states, “We expressed our hope that such frameworks of regional cooperation and integration like the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) among ASEAN members, and closer unity among the members of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be formed in other parts of our region, and will ultimately be applicable at an all-inclusive pan-Asian level.”
I welcome this from my heart. Creating and developing regional frameworks for peace in various parts in Asia and finally extending it to a pan-Asian level is a task of us all. Let’s make a collective effort to build an Asian community for peace, amity, cooperation and prosperity.
Engaging with the world, calling for a prompt start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention
Dear Friends,
Now, I would like to touch upon the second topic: an issue of nuclear weapons, which is now being a serious threat to peace and stability for Asia and the world.
The next year, 2015 will mark the 70th anniversary of the tragic atomic bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. In the same year 2015, the Review Conference by Parties to Non-Proliferation Treaty will be held in New York. We must accelerate an effort to turn 2015 into an epoch-making year for a world without nuclear weapons.
In August, 1945, two atomic bombs devastatingly changed two beautiful cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki into the hell. 210,000 people were dead by the end of the year. Survivors have been still suffering sickness, diseases, physical and mental wounds due to effects of radiation. This hell must never be repeated anywhere in the world. To that end, the international community should take responsible actions immediately.
The previous 2010 NPT Review Conference unanimously adopted its final document, reaffirming “an unequivocal undertaking” of the nuclear weapons states to “accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals” and affirming the need "to make special efforts to establish the necessary framework to achieve and maintain a world without nuclear weapons." The final document noted the five proposals by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who has called for negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention. This is the current consensus of the international community. We need to implement it in a practical manner.
Recently, there has been a growing call for abolition of nuclear weapons with renewed focus on the inhuman and cruel nature of nuclear weapons. 125 nations signed a joint statement at the U.N. General Assembly First Committee in October 2013, on the humanitarian consequence of nuclear weapons. It pointed out that nuclear weapons bring about "unacceptable humanitarian consequences" by their "destructive capability and indiscriminate nature," stressing that "it is in the interest of the very survival of humanity that nuclear weapons are never used again, under any circumstances" and that "the only way to guarantee that nuclear weapons will never be used again is through their total elimination." While anti-nuclear weapons movement in Japan has made efforts to raise awareness of the inhuman and cruel nature of the weapons, the renewed focus on it in the international community is especially remarkable.
In this regard, the following phrase of the draft Colombo Declaration has positive significance. “We reiterated the need to implement an unequivocal undertaking to achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons agreed by nuclear weapons states at the Review Conferences of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 2010, and called for a prompt start of negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention, as proposed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.”
I support and welcome the point. In order to advance toward a nuclear weapons-free world, a prompt start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention to totally ban and eliminate nuclear weapons is of vital importance. This is the voice of the international community. It has support from 2/3 of the member states of the U.N. General Assembly. When we adopt the Colombo declaration, it will surely be a huge encouragement for an effort by the international community and civil society movements around the world to that end.
The ICAPP has a legacy advocating a nuclear weapons-free world. The 2009 Astana Declaration stated, “A world, including all regions, without nuclear weapons should be objective”. The 2010 Phnom Penh Declaration clearly supported “negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention”. Based on these achievements, let’s declare from here Colombo to the world, that it is the time to start negotiations immediately.
On behalf of Japanese Communist Party, which has long advocated and struggled, in the only country suffered from the direct atomic bombing, for total elimination of nuclear weapons, I am determined to make utmost efforts to open the door for a world without nuclear weapons. Thank you for listening.
Building an Asian Community of Peace and a World without Nuclear Weapons
JCP’s cooperation to ICAPP
Interview with JCP Chairperson Kazuo Shii
The 8th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on September 18-20. The conference unanimously adopted the Colombo Declaration, hoping to expand regional cooperation for peace to a Pan-Asian level as well as calling for a prompt start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention. The Japanese Communist Party (JCP) shares this aspiration. The newspaper AKAHATA interviewed Mr. Kazuo Shii, who led the party’s delegation to the assembly. He is Chairperson of the party and Member of the House of Representatives.
Q: How do you see the outcome of the assembly?
Mr. Shii: It was highly significant.
As for the ICAPP itself, it has developed itself as a unique forum open to all political parties in Asia from across the ideological spectrum. The main theme of the 8th General Assembly was “Building an Asian Community.”
The assembly had a large attendance of 75 political parties from 29 countries. In addition, international organizations took part as observers, including the Permanent Conference of Political Parties in Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL), the Council of African Political Parties (CAPP), and the United Nations (UN). Participants from Japan were from the Japanese Communist Party and the Democratic Party.
I think the declaration adopted has great value especially pertaining to two crucial issues.
First, the declaration expressed its hope that such frameworks of regional cooperation and integration as the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) among ASEAN members will ultimately be applicable at an all-inclusive pan-Asian level. Obviously, Northeast Asia will be included. As the Japanese Communist Party has proposed an Initiative for Peace and Cooperation in Northeast Asia, the declaration of the ICAPP and our policy line share common ground on this point. This is very encouraging for us.
Second, the declaration called for a prompt start of negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention, as proposed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
As I said, the declaration was unanimously adopted, which means it gained the support of all participating parties, regardless of whether they are governing or not. This is a hopeful sign for civil societies in Japan and elsewhere working for a world without nuclear weapons.
Develop regional frameworks for peace
Q: What did you speak about at the ICAPP meeting?
Shii: I spoke on two topics in line with the meeting’s main theme “Building an Asian Community”. Taking ICAPP objectives into account, I chose topics that can gain support from all political parties, regardless of differences in political beliefs.
The first topic was on “Building an Asian Community”, the very theme of the ICAPP meeting.
Already in many parts of Asia, regional frameworks for peace and cooperation have been developing in various forms.
In Southeast Asia, for example, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is remarkably developing as a peaceful regional community. In South Asia and Central Asia as well, there are regional frameworks for peace and cooperation suitable for their respective conditions and circumstances. In Northeast Asia, however, no such a framework exists. Unlike other regions, this region does not have an institutional means of resolving issues in a peaceful manner despite the dangers arising from regional conflicts and tensions.
Therefore, the JCP in its 26th Congress in January called for an initiative to establish a framework for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia. In other words, we proposed that something like the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) of the ASEAN be created also in Northeast Asia.
In my ICAPP speech, I said that we need to pay attention to the various frameworks for peace and cooperation being built in many parts of Asia and presented the JCP’s vision of creating a structure for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia.
I said, “Creating and developing regional frameworks for peace and cooperation in various parts in Asia and finally extending it to a pan-Asian level is a task that should concern us all. Let’s make a collective effort to build an Asian community for peace, amity, cooperation and prosperity.”
When I say “an Asian community”, I do not mean that a single community should be established in one stroke because conditions vary from region to region. I called for further developing the regional frameworks for peace and cooperation which already exist in many areas of Asia in various forms, creating a similar mechanism in Northeast Asia, and merging them into “a pan-Asian community”.
To make 70th anniversary of A-bombings a turning point
Q: The second subject of your speech was creating “a world without nuclear weapons.”
Shii: That’s right. Next year will mark the 70th anniversary of the tragic atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will also take place in New York next year for the first time in five years. In the hope of making 2015 a major turning point to realize a nuclear-weapons-free world, I chose it as the other main focus of my speech.
Taking into consideration the character of the ICAPP, I highlighted the following two points so that all participating parties can share a common ground.
First, I called for moving forward based on the achievement of the 2010 NPT Review Conference, confirmed by the international community, including nuclear-weapon states. The final document of the 2010 Conference states, “All States need to make special efforts to establish the necessary framework to achieve and maintain a world without nuclear weapons.” What I emphasized was that all parties can work together to promote these efforts.
Secondly, I noted that there is a growing international consensus seeking the abolition of nuclear weapons and pointing to those weapons’ inhumanity and cruelty. Nuclear weapons are inhumane arms, and the only way to prevent such weapons from being used again is to eliminate them totally. Regardless of differences in political positions, nobody can refute this argument.
Based on the above two points, I called on participants to appeal to the global community to promptly start negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention.
JCP’s new proposal and ICAPP declaration
Q: Please tell us about the Colombo Declaration, adopted at the General Assembly.
Shii: The declaration is highly significant, contributing to peace and progress in Asia and beyond.
On building an Asian community, the declaration states, “We expressed our hope that such frameworks of regional cooperation and integration like TAC among ASEAN members … will be formed in other parts of our region, and will ultimately be applicable at an all-inclusive pan-Asian level.”
If we try to create regional frameworks like TAC in other parts of Asia, it will lead us to establishing a community for peace in Northeast Asia as well. I was pleased to see the ICAPP declaration and the JCP’s initiative sharing this common direction for regional cooperation for peace.
Q: Regarding the issue of banning nuclear weapons, what the Colombo Declaration states is encouraging.
Shii: Yes, it is. As for the issue of banning nuclear weapons, the Colombo Declaration states:
“We also reiterated the need to implement an unequivocal undertaking to achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons agreed by nuclear weapon states at the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 2010, and called for a prompt start of negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention, as proposed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.”
This is very significant.
In its past general assemblies, the ICAPP repeatedly voiced the need to create a world without nuclear weapons. The 2009 Astana Declaration proclaimed, “A world, including all regions, without nuclear weapons should be objective.” The 2010 Phnom Penh Declaration expressed its support for “negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention.” And this time, the Colombo Declaration included a sentence in which the ICAPP general assembly “called for a prompt start of negotiations on the convention.”
So, the ICAPP has changed the wording in its declarations to a more active voice in playing a role in global efforts for a start of negotiations on the convention.
Now in Japan, in preparation for the next year’s NPT Review Conference, many people are participating in a signature-collection campaign demanding the start of the negotiations. This demand has been reflected in the statement of the ICAPP general assembly where Asian political parties gathered. This is a significant outcome.
Q: JCP proposals share a common direction with the Declaration.
Shii: Yes, they do. In April, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with ICAPP Co-Chair, Hon. Chung Eui-Yong at the JCP head office. Mr. Chung kindly expressed his willingness to invite proposals to be included in the general assembly’s declaration. In May, we took up that invitation and requested the ICAPP secretariat to take into account two JCP proposals in drafting a declaration.
The one was on regional cooperation for peace and the other was on the issue of nuclear weapons.
In August, Mr. Chung in his e-mail kindly expressed his appreciation for the JCP’s commitment to the ICAPP cause.
At the ICAPP meeting in Colombo, I conveyed my appreciation to Mr. Chung and I was very pleased to hear Mr. Chung express his gratitude for our cooperation.
I was really glad that the JCP’s cooperation bore fruit for the success of the ICAPP meeting.
Q: What about exchanges you had with representatives from other political parties?
Shii: We had talks with delegates of political parties from most of the 29 countries participating in the conference.
For example, we had talks with delegates representing two political parties from Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, the ruling party is the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the largest opposition party is the United National Party. We had opportunities to talk with the leaders of both parties. Sri Lanka is one of the countries where the Non-Aligned Movement was initiated and has always taken a positive stand in support of the abolition of nuclear weapons. The leaders of the parties shared the common goal of working for a world without nuclear weapons.
I had especially memorable talks with Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, the head of the United National Party. When I explained to him about the JCP's initiative for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia, Mr. Wickremesinghe said that he found it very important that the initiative states that Japan’s remorse for its past war of aggression and colonial rule is an essential basis for establishing trust.
It was very impressive to hear this candid opinion from a political leader of Sri Lanka.
Development of exchanges among three continents
Shii: The other thing I would like to mention is our meetings with representatives of the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL) and the Council of African Political Parties (CAPP).
The COPPPAL was founded in 1979 and is now taken part in by 69 centrist and leftist parties (17 ruling parties) of 21 Latin American countries. We learned that it has been involved in regional efforts to solve five conflicts, including in Columbia and Ecuador. It also adopted a resolution stating that no country should be allowed to possess or develop nuclear weapons.
The CAPP, established in Sudan in 2013, is joined by political parties from left- to right-wing regardless of their political differences. They include 45 political parties from 37 countries, representing almost all major parties on the African continent. The representative of the CAPP explained to me that it opposes exploitation, war, and foreign domination, and calls for a peaceful and just Africa and world.
Since the JCP finds common ground with what the two political organizations are pursuing, we expressed our hopes to further exchange views with each other from now on.
Through the talks with the two organizations, I realized that the way has been opened for the JCP’s diplomatic exchanges with other political parties to further develop in the Asian, Latin American, and African continents.
The direction has universality
Q: It has broadened our horizon, hasn't it?
Shii: Yes. What I recognized was that the development of the three conferences of political parties in the three continents, the ICAPP, the COPPPAL, and the CAPP, are deeply connected with the building of regional frameworks for peace and cooperation. In many areas of Asia, such frameworks, including the ASEAN, have been created. Latin America has the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). In Africa, the African Union (AU) has been active.
Throughout the various activities during the ICAPP General Assembly, I strongly felt that what we call for in our proposals for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia and for a regional community in Asia has universality. The JCP’s position shares in common with the mainstream of Asia and the world. We would like to have confidence in this and further promote our endeavors.
September 25, 2014
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Yamashita Yoshiki told reporters on September 24 in the Diet building that the JCP delegation greatly contributed to the success of the eighth general assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) which was held from September 18 to 21 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Yamashita said that JCP Chair Shii Kazuo in his speech (Read the full-text below) at the assembly called on participants to step up efforts to expand international frameworks for peace and cooperation like the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) across Asia as well as to appeal to the global community to promptly start negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention. He noted that the ICAPP Standing Committee put forward to the assembly a draft declaration reflecting Shii’s proposal, which was unanimously adopted on the final day.
JCP executives attend China’s National Day reception
September 26, 2014
Two Japanese Communist Party executives and the head of its affiliate institute on September 25 attended a reception held at a Tokyo hotel to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
JCP Secretariat Head Yamashita Yoshiki, JCP Vice Chair Ogata Yasuo, and JCP Social Sciences Institute Director Fuwa Tetsuzo offered their congratulations to Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua.
The three had friendly talks with Japanese and foreign guests.
**********
Followings are the full-text of a speech by JCP Chair Shii Kazuo in the ICAPP general assembly in Sri Lanka and an interview on Sunday Akahata:
Cooperation for Peace in Asia and a World without Nuclear Weapons
Remarks at the 8th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties
Colombo, Sri Lanka
September 2014
Kazuo Shiii
Japanese Communist Party Chair
Member of the House of Representatives of Japan
ICAPP and the potential of an “Asian Community”
Mr. Chairperson and dear friends,
On behalf of Japanese Communist Party, I congratulate on the success of this 8th General Assembly of the ICAPP and express my solidarity with fellow delegates from across Asia.
The Assembly here in Colombo has its main theme: Building Asian Community. I think this theme is a very welcome topic.
Through 20th century into 21st century, Asia has undergone a historical shift from division and antagonism to cooperation and peace. The ICAPP, which was born in this region, has developed as a forum open to all political parties in Asia from across the ideological spectrum. It has played an important role for dialogues, confidence-building, amity, cooperation and peace in Asia and beyond. I am confident that this fact itself clearly shows the potential of an” Asian Community”.
I hope this 8th General Assembly will open a new chapter of the advancement of the ICAPP based on the achievement of the previous assemblies.
I would like to speak on 2 topics today. First is cooperation for peace in Asia. Second is a nuclear weapons-free world.
Proposing an initiative for Peace and Cooperation in North East Asia
Dear friends,
Regarding to our theme-- building an Asian community--, it is important to recognize that this region already has drivers for peace based on the United Nations Charter. Those are frameworks of regional cooperation of nations for peace developing in various parts in our region.
Especially, we pay attention to efforts and achievements by nations in South East Asia. The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) to ensure renunciation of use of force and peaceful solution of conflicts, as well as ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), East Asia Summit (EAS), the Treaty of Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone in South East Asia, and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) as multi-layered frameworks for peace and security. Moreover, it has been extended beyond the region.
All these efforts and achievements are very different from relying on an exclusive military block which has potential enemies. Instead, these are all inclusive and open to all nations in the region and beyond. This is a developing regional cooperation for peace. Enhanced dialogues and confidence-building to avoid escalation of conflict into war is a key practical aspect as peaceful solution of any conflict. Differences in political and social systems, phases of economic development, cultures are mutually respected. Unity in diversity is a key organizing concept. These efforts of ASEAN member states give us indeed rich and fruitful lessons.
Turning to the North East Asia region where we Japanese live, there are various potential sources of conflicts and tension. How to create an environment for peace in the region is a serious challenge not only for nations in North East Asia but also for peace and stability of the entire Asia.
What would happen if we embraced ideas of enhancing military deterrence or strengthening military power in addressing various conflicts? A possible result would be a vicious circle of dangerously intensifying the tension in the military affairs. Any problem should be solved through peaceful means based on solid and rational diplomacy. What we need is to create frameworks to that end.
Japanese Communist Party proposed a new initiative for Peace and Cooperation in North East Asia in the 26th party congress in January this year. This initiative is based on the following goals and principles.
- Conclude a Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in North East Asia as rules for peace which member states need to abide by, including renunciation of the use of force, peaceful resolution of conflicts, non-interference in internal affairs, and promotion of effective dialogues and cooperation for confidence building.
- On North Korean issue, return to the Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks issued in September 2005, create a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, realize a comprehensive solution on nuclear weapons, missiles, and the abduction issue as well as unsolved historical issues, and develop this framework into one that can create and maintain peace and stability in North East Asia.
- Stick to diplomatic negotiations in a calm manner based on historical facts and international law as means to solve territorial disputes existing in the region. Strictly refrain from actions that could escalate into conflicts, such as any forcible change in the status quo and use or threat to use force, and conclude a code of conduct for the countries concerned to solve conflicts through friendly consultations and negotiations in accordance with the international law.
- Japan's remorse over its past war of aggression and colonial rule is the essential basis to develop amity and cooperation in North East Asia. Swiftly solve Japan's military sexual slavery issue and other unsolved issues and block the rise of adverse forces trying to falsify the historical record.
For an Asian Community for peace, amity, cooperation and prosperity
Dear Friends,
Our proposal is not an idealistic rhetoric. Our proposal follows the achievements of ASEAN regional cooperation for peace based on the TAC.
We also pay attention to some proposals for regional cooperation for peace in North East Asia from several governments in East Asia. President Park Geun-hye of Republic of Korea proposed an initiative for peace and cooperation in North East Asia in her speech in the Unites States Congress. Her proposal included process of multilateral dialogue in the entire North East Asia and a mechanism for peace and cooperation. The government of Indonesia has called for a treaty of amity and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. This is part of an effort to expand cooperation for peace in South East Asia to the entire indo-pacific. The ASEAN ministerial meeting in August welcomed the Indonesian proposal.
These proposals share the same direction of ours. A new initiative for peace and cooperation in North East Asia, as we propose, is a practical and fundamental way to bring about peace and stability in the region. With this belief, I express my determination to share this view with a wide range of governments and political parties so that it will eventually come true.
The draft Colombo Declaration states, “We expressed our hope that such frameworks of regional cooperation and integration like the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) among ASEAN members, and closer unity among the members of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be formed in other parts of our region, and will ultimately be applicable at an all-inclusive pan-Asian level.”
I welcome this from my heart. Creating and developing regional frameworks for peace in various parts in Asia and finally extending it to a pan-Asian level is a task of us all. Let’s make a collective effort to build an Asian community for peace, amity, cooperation and prosperity.
Engaging with the world, calling for a prompt start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention
Dear Friends,
Now, I would like to touch upon the second topic: an issue of nuclear weapons, which is now being a serious threat to peace and stability for Asia and the world.
The next year, 2015 will mark the 70th anniversary of the tragic atomic bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. In the same year 2015, the Review Conference by Parties to Non-Proliferation Treaty will be held in New York. We must accelerate an effort to turn 2015 into an epoch-making year for a world without nuclear weapons.
In August, 1945, two atomic bombs devastatingly changed two beautiful cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki into the hell. 210,000 people were dead by the end of the year. Survivors have been still suffering sickness, diseases, physical and mental wounds due to effects of radiation. This hell must never be repeated anywhere in the world. To that end, the international community should take responsible actions immediately.
The previous 2010 NPT Review Conference unanimously adopted its final document, reaffirming “an unequivocal undertaking” of the nuclear weapons states to “accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals” and affirming the need "to make special efforts to establish the necessary framework to achieve and maintain a world without nuclear weapons." The final document noted the five proposals by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who has called for negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention. This is the current consensus of the international community. We need to implement it in a practical manner.
Recently, there has been a growing call for abolition of nuclear weapons with renewed focus on the inhuman and cruel nature of nuclear weapons. 125 nations signed a joint statement at the U.N. General Assembly First Committee in October 2013, on the humanitarian consequence of nuclear weapons. It pointed out that nuclear weapons bring about "unacceptable humanitarian consequences" by their "destructive capability and indiscriminate nature," stressing that "it is in the interest of the very survival of humanity that nuclear weapons are never used again, under any circumstances" and that "the only way to guarantee that nuclear weapons will never be used again is through their total elimination." While anti-nuclear weapons movement in Japan has made efforts to raise awareness of the inhuman and cruel nature of the weapons, the renewed focus on it in the international community is especially remarkable.
In this regard, the following phrase of the draft Colombo Declaration has positive significance. “We reiterated the need to implement an unequivocal undertaking to achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons agreed by nuclear weapons states at the Review Conferences of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 2010, and called for a prompt start of negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention, as proposed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.”
I support and welcome the point. In order to advance toward a nuclear weapons-free world, a prompt start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention to totally ban and eliminate nuclear weapons is of vital importance. This is the voice of the international community. It has support from 2/3 of the member states of the U.N. General Assembly. When we adopt the Colombo declaration, it will surely be a huge encouragement for an effort by the international community and civil society movements around the world to that end.
The ICAPP has a legacy advocating a nuclear weapons-free world. The 2009 Astana Declaration stated, “A world, including all regions, without nuclear weapons should be objective”. The 2010 Phnom Penh Declaration clearly supported “negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention”. Based on these achievements, let’s declare from here Colombo to the world, that it is the time to start negotiations immediately.
On behalf of Japanese Communist Party, which has long advocated and struggled, in the only country suffered from the direct atomic bombing, for total elimination of nuclear weapons, I am determined to make utmost efforts to open the door for a world without nuclear weapons. Thank you for listening.
Building an Asian Community of Peace and a World without Nuclear Weapons
JCP’s cooperation to ICAPP
Interview with JCP Chairperson Kazuo Shii
The 8th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on September 18-20. The conference unanimously adopted the Colombo Declaration, hoping to expand regional cooperation for peace to a Pan-Asian level as well as calling for a prompt start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention. The Japanese Communist Party (JCP) shares this aspiration. The newspaper AKAHATA interviewed Mr. Kazuo Shii, who led the party’s delegation to the assembly. He is Chairperson of the party and Member of the House of Representatives.
Q: How do you see the outcome of the assembly?
Mr. Shii: It was highly significant.
As for the ICAPP itself, it has developed itself as a unique forum open to all political parties in Asia from across the ideological spectrum. The main theme of the 8th General Assembly was “Building an Asian Community.”
The assembly had a large attendance of 75 political parties from 29 countries. In addition, international organizations took part as observers, including the Permanent Conference of Political Parties in Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL), the Council of African Political Parties (CAPP), and the United Nations (UN). Participants from Japan were from the Japanese Communist Party and the Democratic Party.
I think the declaration adopted has great value especially pertaining to two crucial issues.
First, the declaration expressed its hope that such frameworks of regional cooperation and integration as the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) among ASEAN members will ultimately be applicable at an all-inclusive pan-Asian level. Obviously, Northeast Asia will be included. As the Japanese Communist Party has proposed an Initiative for Peace and Cooperation in Northeast Asia, the declaration of the ICAPP and our policy line share common ground on this point. This is very encouraging for us.
Second, the declaration called for a prompt start of negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention, as proposed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
As I said, the declaration was unanimously adopted, which means it gained the support of all participating parties, regardless of whether they are governing or not. This is a hopeful sign for civil societies in Japan and elsewhere working for a world without nuclear weapons.
Develop regional frameworks for peace
Q: What did you speak about at the ICAPP meeting?
Shii: I spoke on two topics in line with the meeting’s main theme “Building an Asian Community”. Taking ICAPP objectives into account, I chose topics that can gain support from all political parties, regardless of differences in political beliefs.
The first topic was on “Building an Asian Community”, the very theme of the ICAPP meeting.
Already in many parts of Asia, regional frameworks for peace and cooperation have been developing in various forms.
In Southeast Asia, for example, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is remarkably developing as a peaceful regional community. In South Asia and Central Asia as well, there are regional frameworks for peace and cooperation suitable for their respective conditions and circumstances. In Northeast Asia, however, no such a framework exists. Unlike other regions, this region does not have an institutional means of resolving issues in a peaceful manner despite the dangers arising from regional conflicts and tensions.
Therefore, the JCP in its 26th Congress in January called for an initiative to establish a framework for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia. In other words, we proposed that something like the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) of the ASEAN be created also in Northeast Asia.
In my ICAPP speech, I said that we need to pay attention to the various frameworks for peace and cooperation being built in many parts of Asia and presented the JCP’s vision of creating a structure for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia.
I said, “Creating and developing regional frameworks for peace and cooperation in various parts in Asia and finally extending it to a pan-Asian level is a task that should concern us all. Let’s make a collective effort to build an Asian community for peace, amity, cooperation and prosperity.”
When I say “an Asian community”, I do not mean that a single community should be established in one stroke because conditions vary from region to region. I called for further developing the regional frameworks for peace and cooperation which already exist in many areas of Asia in various forms, creating a similar mechanism in Northeast Asia, and merging them into “a pan-Asian community”.
To make 70th anniversary of A-bombings a turning point
Q: The second subject of your speech was creating “a world without nuclear weapons.”
Shii: That’s right. Next year will mark the 70th anniversary of the tragic atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will also take place in New York next year for the first time in five years. In the hope of making 2015 a major turning point to realize a nuclear-weapons-free world, I chose it as the other main focus of my speech.
Taking into consideration the character of the ICAPP, I highlighted the following two points so that all participating parties can share a common ground.
First, I called for moving forward based on the achievement of the 2010 NPT Review Conference, confirmed by the international community, including nuclear-weapon states. The final document of the 2010 Conference states, “All States need to make special efforts to establish the necessary framework to achieve and maintain a world without nuclear weapons.” What I emphasized was that all parties can work together to promote these efforts.
Secondly, I noted that there is a growing international consensus seeking the abolition of nuclear weapons and pointing to those weapons’ inhumanity and cruelty. Nuclear weapons are inhumane arms, and the only way to prevent such weapons from being used again is to eliminate them totally. Regardless of differences in political positions, nobody can refute this argument.
Based on the above two points, I called on participants to appeal to the global community to promptly start negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention.
JCP’s new proposal and ICAPP declaration
Q: Please tell us about the Colombo Declaration, adopted at the General Assembly.
Shii: The declaration is highly significant, contributing to peace and progress in Asia and beyond.
On building an Asian community, the declaration states, “We expressed our hope that such frameworks of regional cooperation and integration like TAC among ASEAN members … will be formed in other parts of our region, and will ultimately be applicable at an all-inclusive pan-Asian level.”
If we try to create regional frameworks like TAC in other parts of Asia, it will lead us to establishing a community for peace in Northeast Asia as well. I was pleased to see the ICAPP declaration and the JCP’s initiative sharing this common direction for regional cooperation for peace.
Q: Regarding the issue of banning nuclear weapons, what the Colombo Declaration states is encouraging.
Shii: Yes, it is. As for the issue of banning nuclear weapons, the Colombo Declaration states:
“We also reiterated the need to implement an unequivocal undertaking to achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons agreed by nuclear weapon states at the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 2010, and called for a prompt start of negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention, as proposed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.”
This is very significant.
In its past general assemblies, the ICAPP repeatedly voiced the need to create a world without nuclear weapons. The 2009 Astana Declaration proclaimed, “A world, including all regions, without nuclear weapons should be objective.” The 2010 Phnom Penh Declaration expressed its support for “negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention.” And this time, the Colombo Declaration included a sentence in which the ICAPP general assembly “called for a prompt start of negotiations on the convention.”
So, the ICAPP has changed the wording in its declarations to a more active voice in playing a role in global efforts for a start of negotiations on the convention.
Now in Japan, in preparation for the next year’s NPT Review Conference, many people are participating in a signature-collection campaign demanding the start of the negotiations. This demand has been reflected in the statement of the ICAPP general assembly where Asian political parties gathered. This is a significant outcome.
Q: JCP proposals share a common direction with the Declaration.
Shii: Yes, they do. In April, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with ICAPP Co-Chair, Hon. Chung Eui-Yong at the JCP head office. Mr. Chung kindly expressed his willingness to invite proposals to be included in the general assembly’s declaration. In May, we took up that invitation and requested the ICAPP secretariat to take into account two JCP proposals in drafting a declaration.
The one was on regional cooperation for peace and the other was on the issue of nuclear weapons.
In August, Mr. Chung in his e-mail kindly expressed his appreciation for the JCP’s commitment to the ICAPP cause.
At the ICAPP meeting in Colombo, I conveyed my appreciation to Mr. Chung and I was very pleased to hear Mr. Chung express his gratitude for our cooperation.
I was really glad that the JCP’s cooperation bore fruit for the success of the ICAPP meeting.
Q: What about exchanges you had with representatives from other political parties?
Shii: We had talks with delegates of political parties from most of the 29 countries participating in the conference.
For example, we had talks with delegates representing two political parties from Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, the ruling party is the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the largest opposition party is the United National Party. We had opportunities to talk with the leaders of both parties. Sri Lanka is one of the countries where the Non-Aligned Movement was initiated and has always taken a positive stand in support of the abolition of nuclear weapons. The leaders of the parties shared the common goal of working for a world without nuclear weapons.
I had especially memorable talks with Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, the head of the United National Party. When I explained to him about the JCP's initiative for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia, Mr. Wickremesinghe said that he found it very important that the initiative states that Japan’s remorse for its past war of aggression and colonial rule is an essential basis for establishing trust.
It was very impressive to hear this candid opinion from a political leader of Sri Lanka.
Development of exchanges among three continents
Shii: The other thing I would like to mention is our meetings with representatives of the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL) and the Council of African Political Parties (CAPP).
The COPPPAL was founded in 1979 and is now taken part in by 69 centrist and leftist parties (17 ruling parties) of 21 Latin American countries. We learned that it has been involved in regional efforts to solve five conflicts, including in Columbia and Ecuador. It also adopted a resolution stating that no country should be allowed to possess or develop nuclear weapons.
The CAPP, established in Sudan in 2013, is joined by political parties from left- to right-wing regardless of their political differences. They include 45 political parties from 37 countries, representing almost all major parties on the African continent. The representative of the CAPP explained to me that it opposes exploitation, war, and foreign domination, and calls for a peaceful and just Africa and world.
Since the JCP finds common ground with what the two political organizations are pursuing, we expressed our hopes to further exchange views with each other from now on.
Through the talks with the two organizations, I realized that the way has been opened for the JCP’s diplomatic exchanges with other political parties to further develop in the Asian, Latin American, and African continents.
The direction has universality
Q: It has broadened our horizon, hasn't it?
Shii: Yes. What I recognized was that the development of the three conferences of political parties in the three continents, the ICAPP, the COPPPAL, and the CAPP, are deeply connected with the building of regional frameworks for peace and cooperation. In many areas of Asia, such frameworks, including the ASEAN, have been created. Latin America has the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). In Africa, the African Union (AU) has been active.
Throughout the various activities during the ICAPP General Assembly, I strongly felt that what we call for in our proposals for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia and for a regional community in Asia has universality. The JCP’s position shares in common with the mainstream of Asia and the world. We would like to have confidence in this and further promote our endeavors.
