May 11 & 12, 2024

Japanese Communist Party Vice Chair Ogata Yasuo on May 9 met with European Left Party President Walter Baier at the party’s head office in Berlin.

Ogata noted that with his latest visit to France and Germany (April 4-9), he realized the need to strengthen cooperation between Japanese and European left-wing forces to protect peace.

Baier in reply said that a fight to protect peace and democracy has become even more important at a time when in many European countries, military budgets and the presence of far-right groups have been on the rise.

The two agreed to strengthen relations between the JCP and the European Left Party in a timely and effective manner in accordance with current political situations.

On the previous day, Ogata visited the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (RLF) headquarters in Berlin and held talks with Foundation Chair Heinz Bierbaum.

The two shared their concerns that the United States has promoted its “global hegemonism” aggressively and that Japan and Germany have increased their roles as subordinated U.S. military allies. They also shared the awareness that any issues should be resolved diplomatically under an increase in military spending worldwide and a growing tendency towards military-centric solutions.

As common concerns, Ogata and the RLF chair noted that in their countries, a propaganda narrative, which claims that there is no freedom in socialist/communist societies, has been spreading. They confirmed that the JCP and the RLF will boost their cooperation to counter such propaganda.

They agreed that the JCP and the RLF, under the theme of “peace and freedom”, will pursue research on international issues regarding peace and war; the contradictions and limitations of capitalism including neo-liberalism; and theories regarding socialism and communism.