Japan Press Weekly

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2017 March 1 - 7 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Shii talks with head of consumers’ cooperative union

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo held talks with the president of the Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union (JCCU) on March 1 at the JCP head office in Tokyo. The two agreed to join hands to protect Japan’s peace and local communities.

In the talks, JCCU President Asada Katsumi cited the fact that the UNESCO registered cooperatives as an intangible cultural heritage and that the UN included the role of cooperatives on its list of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Given the widening social disparity and the increasing child poverty, it is vital for cooperatives to show what they can do to support local communities,” said Asada.

Shii referred to consumer cooperatives’ activities that support households with small children and elderly persons across the country. He noted that regional networks like this are “valuable assets of Japanese society”.

Talking about the fact that the JCCU is joining the Hibakusha Appeal signature campaign calling for an international treaty to ban and eliminate nuclear weapons, Shii said, “Let’s work together to realize a world without nuclear arms.”

JCP Vice Chair Yamashita Yoshiki also attended the talks.