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2017 April 19 - 25 TOP3 [JCP]

Young people study JCP Program

The Democratic Youth League of Japan (DYLJ) held a seminar to learn about the Japanese Communist Party Program at the JCP head office in Tokyo with JCP Chair Shii Kazuo as a lecturer.

Young participants filled up the JCP main conference hall and many others interested in the JCP watched the lecture live on the Internet in many parts of the country.

DYLJ Chair Koyama Minoru in welcoming the audience said, “The DYLJ decided to organize this meeting so that all of you can think about the course Japan and the world should take in the future, and I hope as many young people as possible will gain insights from learning about the JCP Program today.”

In the seminar, Shii spoke about changes Japan needs to make as well as on his perspective on the 21st century world. He also talked about the ongoing joint struggle of opposition parties and concerned citizens to bring down the Abe government, the global trend seeking to conclude a nuclear weapons-ban treaty, and the outlook on a future society that will overcome capitalism.

The young audience eagerly listened to Shii citing passages from the books of Marx and Engels and also shared anecdotes from Diet discussions and New York City where he recently took part in a UN N-ban conference.

Concluding his lecture, Shii said, “It is a daunting challenge for us in such an advanced capitalist country to work to move toward a progressive future society. I really hope that you also will take up the challenge to work together for a better future for all.”

A dietitian in her 20s who came from Tokushima Prefecture to attend the seminar said, “What has impressed me most was that Mr. Shii asserted that the ‘diversity’ in cooperation among opposition parties is their ‘strength’. I myself also want to understand and respect others in my daily life. His calling on us ‘to be challengers who will be pioneers in uncharted territory’ has given me courage.”

A Tokyo college student in his 20s said, “I was worried about the future of the world with the advent of the U.S. Trump administration and the rise of rightist forces in Europe. But, by closely listening to today’s lecture, I have come to understand the strength of global movements, for example, seeking to achieve a nuclear weapons-ban treaty. That gives me hope for the future.”