January 21, 2021

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on January 21 issued a statement on the Inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States. The full text of his statement is as follows:

SHII Kazuo
Chair, Japanese Communist Party
Member of the House of Representatives of Japan
Tokyo

(1)
The new U.S. President Biden said that he will "re-engage with the world" in his inauguration address and announced the U.S. is going to return to the Paris Agreement and World Health Organization (WHO), launching a policy of strengthening international cooperation on climate change and measures against the COVID-19. We will pay attention to how the Biden administration’s policy will be put into practice as it aims to correct the course of the Trump administration which turned its back on international cooperation on these issues.

(2)
As we have seen in the series of violent incidents that followed the latest presidential election, the deepening of divisions and conflict in U.S. society as a whole has become even more serious. At the same time, through this presidential election, there has been a growing grassroots movement calling for tackling social issues such as widening inequality, poverty and racial discrimination, and to break away from politics that promotes division. Under these circumstances, we will keep a close watch on how and if the Biden administration will carry out campaign pledges made by the Democrats, such as implementing fairer tax burdens, raising the minimum wage, tuition free higher education, and dealing with racism and immigration issues.

(3)
With regard to Japan-U.S. relations, Mr. Biden intends to “reinvent” the U.S.-centered military alliance network. We should be wary of unilateral requests for Japan by the U.S., including reinforcement of the U.S. military bases in Japan, especially in Okinawa, and increasing Japan’s burdens in regard to military spending for U.S. military operations. We are determined to fight hard for the reform of Japanese politics to end Japan’s extraordinary subordination to the U.S. and to build an equal relationship between Japan and the U.S.