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2016 November 30 - December 6 [JCP]

This week’s JCP international activities

November 30-December 4, 2016
Fuwa visits Cuban Embassy to express condolences on death of Fidel Castro

Former Japanese Communist Party Chair Fuwa Tetsuzo visited the Cuban Embassy in Tokyo on November 29 to express his condolences on the death of Fidel Castro.

Fuwa signed his name in the register and wrote, “The meeting with Castro 32 years ago in which we talked about the right to national self-determination is engraved in my mind.”

Fuwa handed Cuban Embassy Counsellor Elizabeth Valdes-Miranda Fernandez a photo of him and Fidel talking together in Havana in 1984. Surprised at the youthful figures of the two leaders, she said, “I’ll definitely send this to my home country.”

Ogata attends memorial ceremony for Fidel Castro

Japanese Communist Party Vice Chair Ogata Yasuo on November 29 attended a ceremony held in Havana in memory of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

The ceremony was attended by hundreds of thousands of people, including about 30 national leaders. Cuban President Raul Castro delivered a speech, stressing that Fidel, his elder brother, devoted his whole life to the struggle against colonialism and imperialism.

Following the ceremony, Ogata shook hands with Raul on the stage. Conveying a message from JCP Chair Shii Kazuo, he said, “I offer my deepest condolences and solidarity, sharing my sorrow with many Cubans.”

The President expressed his gratitude with his hand on his heart.

Ogata also had friendly talks with other attendees from various countries at the venue and at the hotel he stayed in.

He met Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and talked with him briefly about the JCP. “We are paying attention to the moves toward reform in European nations, including Greece,” said Ogata.

Tsipras said in response, “I have a great interest in the Oriental nation of Japan.”

Uruguay’s former President Jose Mujica shook hands with Ogata and said, “My visit to Japan in April was a wonderful experience.”

During his conversation with ex-Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ogata spoke about his memories when he participated in the congress of the Workers’ Party (PT) twice. Lula is one of the founders of the PT.

In addition, the JCP vice chair talked with Communist Party of Chile President Guillermo Teillier, Communist Party of Brazil President Luciana de Oliveira Santos, and Portuguese Communist Party Political Bureau member Albano Nunes.

* * *

JCP Vice Chair Ogata met with Jose Ramon Balaguer Cabrera, the head of the International Relations Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, in Havana on December 2.

Balaguer expressed his gratitude for the JCP delegation’s participation in the memorial ceremony. Ogata conveyed to him a message of condolence from JCP Chair Shii, saying that the ceremony was full of revolutionary passion and resolve to follow in Fidel’s footsteps.

Ogata went on to speak about the internal and external circumstances as well as the JCP’s activities and goals, referring to the draft resolution being prepared for the JCP 27th Congress slated for January 2017. Balaguer expressed his solidarity, especially on the issue of abolishing nuclear weapons, stressing that Cuba has been seeking the total elimination of nuclear arms.

The two also exchanged views on Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election and perspectives regarding the regional frameworks in place, including the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Shii meets with CPV polito bureau members

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on December 1 met with Vietnam’s visiting Communist Party polito bureau member Phan Minh Chinh, who is also the head of the CPV Central Organization Commission, at the JCP head office in Tokyo.

The two started their talks with welcoming the development in relations and cooperation between the JCP and the CPV, including the continuation of their theoretical exchanges.

Shii said when negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention will launch in 2017, it will be necessary for the two parties to work together to realize a world without nuclear weapons. He also proposed further developing bilateral cooperation in order to establish a peaceful order in East Asia, which includes the peaceful settlement of disputes in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

Chinh said that the two parties share the same view on these matters, expressing his hope that the two parties’ partnership will be strengthened by the theoretical exchanges as well as by cooperation in the international arena.

JCP Policy Commission Vice Chair Kasai Akira and International Commission Vice Chair Morihara Kimitoshi also attended the talks. From Vietnam, along with Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong, three CPV executives who are visiting Japan, were present.
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