June 2, 2019

June 4 marks the 30th year from the Tiananmen Square Incident in Beijing, China, in which the Communist Party of China with the use of force cracked down on peaceful student-led demonstrations calling for democracy. The Japanese Communist Party in an Akahata editorial dated May 29, 1989, warned, "To put down peaceful mass movements by force should never be allowed."

The JCP in its statement issued right after the crackdown said, "In the context of the cause of socialism, and also internationally, it is a reckless act. We firmly and furiously condemn such an outrageous act of violence."

In July 1998, when Fuwa Tetsuzo, JCP chair at that time, met with CPC Standing Politburo member Hu Jintao, Fuwa referred to the JCP position in regard to the Tiananmen massacre and suggested, "In order for a socio-economic system to have taken root in society in the true sense of the word, regardless of the socio-economic system, it is important to envisage development into a political system that makes it a rule to respond to any critical remarks of the political system without banning such criticism."

In 2010, Chinese writer and pro-democracy activist Liu Xiaobo in jail was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced this claiming that the awarding of the prize to Liu Xiaobo contradicts the spirit of the Nobel Prize and also demeans the Nobel Peace Prize. JCP Chair Shii Kazuo, at the Akahata Festival held in November the same year, gave a speech and said, "I strongly hope that China will adopt a stance that reflects this present international recognition and will earn the global trust and understanding in the field of human rights and freedom."

The JCP makes clear that the road to socialism in Japan will take a completely different path from taken by China when it comes to freedom, democracy, and the political framework.

The JCP Program clearly stipulates, "A socialist/communist Japan will inherit and further develop all valuable gains of the capitalist era, including protection of democracy and freedom. The freedom of various ideologies and beliefs as well as political activities, including those by opposition parties, will be rigorously protected. Giving privileges to a particular political party as the 'leadership' party in the name of 'socialism' or defining a particular outlook of the world as a 'state-designated philosophy' has nothing in common with socialism and therefore must be categorically rejected."