January 6, 2023

The Japanese Communist Party Central Committee at its 7th Plenum on January 5 resolved to achieve a major advance in this coming spring’s nationwide simultaneous local elections, increase the party strength by 30% from the last JCP Congress, and work hard to block a huge military buildup by the Kishida government.

The Central Committee Secretariat issued a communique after the Plenum. Followings are excerpts of the communique:

The 7th CC Plenum took place at the JCP head office with the in-person and online participation of 178 CC members and 27 alternate CC members.

Chair Shii Kazuo on behalf of the Executive Committee delivered a report. He said that the goal of the meeting was to confirm that the party’s most important task this year is to achieve a 1.3-fold increase in party membership and Akahata readership from the 2020 level and a major advance in the coming spring’s nationwide simultaneous local elections. He also said that another goal of the meeting was to form the resolution to develop a national movement seeking to bring down the Kishida Cabinet and make a major advance in the next general election by obtaining 6.5 million votes or more than 10% of the total votes in the proportional representation part of the election.

Topics Shii dealt with in his report included the JCP views on the current international and domestic situations and the JCP role, achievements and lessons of the five-month organizational buildup campaign which ended in December 2022, and the significance of increasing the party strength by 30%. He explained how to achieve a 1.3-fold increase and boost party activities in the run up to the simultaneous local elections.

Following discussions in which 27 members participated, Shii made the concluding remarks.

The Plenum ended after the Executive Committee report and the concluding statement were unanimously adopted.