January 24, 2025

Japanese Communist Party Central Committee Chair Shii Kazuo on January 23 on his X account made a comment on a meeting held between Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington D.C. on the sidelines of the inauguration of Donald Trump.

Shii criticized Foreign Minister Iwaya for saying nothing in the meeting about President Trump’s controversial remarks, including those on “the Panama Canal”, “territorial expansion”, and “the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement”.

Referring to the Japanese government stance putting importance on Japan-U.S. relations, Shii wrote, “If so, what Japan should do is to talk frankly with the Trump administration about its taking a stance adverse to the global peace order based on the UN Charter and turning its back on life-and-death issues which should be resolved through international cooperation.”