Japan Press Weekly

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2018 February 7 - 13 [JCP]

Stand up like Takiji to oppose anti-people gov’t: JCP Koike in rally to commemorate death of Kobayashi Takiji

About 1,200 people on February 12 gathered in Tokyo to commemorate proletarian novelist and Japanese Communist Party member Kobayashi Takiji who was tortured to death by the war-time special police 85 years ago.

On February 20, 1933, Kobayashi was arrested by the wartime Special Higher Police (Tokko) for violating the notorious Public Order Maintenance Law and tortured to death on the same day.

JCP Vice Chair Ichida Tadayoshi and JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira took part in the gathering.

JCP Koike delivered a solidarity speech to the assembly on behalf of the party.

Stating that at the time when Kobayashi lived, the JCP was outlawed, Koike stressed that the JCP has now developed into a political force which holds 27 seats in the Diet and more than 2,700 seats in local assemblies.

Koike noted that on October 24, 1932, on the first anniversary of the foundation of the Japanese proletarian writers’ federation, Kobayashi published a statement calling for establishing a united front for progressive social change. Koike also cited the current joint efforts of concerned citizens and opposition parties to protect peace, democracy, and constitutionalism and to oppose the Abe government move to turn Japan into a war-fighting nation. Koike said that what Kobayashi sought in his statement has begun to take shape in the form of the citizens-opposition parties collaboration.

Koike said, “If Kobayashi was still alive, he would portray the potential public movements which are filled with hope in his works vividly and would have engaged in activities to change society for the betterment of all.” Koike added, “At a time when the approaching footsteps of war are heard, we need to stand up, like Kobayashi, against the pro-war Abe government.”

Ogino Fujio, professor at Otaru University of Commerce which is located in Kobayashi’s hometown of Otaru City in Hokkaido, delivered a lecture and stressed that understanding how Kobayashi lived his life will underline the need to face up to the Abe government move to establish a warfighting structure. Psychiatrist Kayama Rika, who was born in Otaru, gave a brief speech and said, “Let us raise our voices in order to block the reestablishment of the wartime Japan system where civil liberties were taken away.”

Past related article:
> Fuwa speaks on 75th anniversary of death of Kobayashi Takij [February 27, 2008]