November 24-26, 2012
The Democratic Youth League of Japan in its 36th National Congress held on November 23 to 25 in Tokyo resolved to work hard for an advance of the Japanese Communist Party in the general election and a victory for the anti-nuclear power lawyer in the Tokyo gubernatorial election.
DYLJ Chair Tanaka Yu in the opening speech said that the DYLJ carried out various activities in accordance with young people’s demands such as to stop nuclear power generation and to volunteer in the 3.11 disaster-affected region. He stressed that the DYLJ, through these activities, has contributed not only to creating a national movement but also to influencing public opinion.
He went on to say that under the current government policies prioritizing the interests of business circles and the United States, the younger generations have become increasingly aware of the fundamental basis of such policies and are eager to study scientific socialism and the JCP Program.
Regarding the organizational strength of the DYLJ, Tanaka reported that since the previous National Congress, the DYLJ welcomed 960 new members and increased the number of readers of its organ paper by 1,200. He proposed to increase the membership and readership by 1,500 in total by the next National Congress in 2013 when the DYLJ will mark the 90th anniversary since its foundation.
The Congress adopted a special resolution to support the JCP in the December 16 general election. The resolution stresses that the JCP is an “authentic revolutionary party” which works to change business- and U.S.-controlled policies which are obstacles standing in the way of young people realizing their demands. The resolution calls on DYLJ members to spread the young generation’s support for the JCP and to create a powerful trend toward changing the direction of Japanese society.
In response to a solidarity message from Tokyo gubernatorial election candidate Utsunomiya Kenji, the Congress decided to make efforts to help him achieve victory.
The Congress reelected Tanaka as chair.
