Japan Press Weekly

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2009 May 20 - 26 [JCP]

JCP holds rally aiming to achieve victory in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election and the general election

With the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election (July 12) eight weeks away and the possibility of the next House of Representatives elections being called before the end of the current term, the Japanese Communist Party held a huge rally at Tokyo’s Ariake Colosseum on May 20.

The main speaker was JCP Chair Shii Kazuo, who emphasized that the party will take on be the Liberal Democratic, Komei, and Democratic parties in the upcoming political battles and that it will redouble the effort to secure a JCP victory in the upcoming elections by displaying the JCP strength which once helped to establish a progressive government in Tokyo.

He stressed that the ruling LDP and Komei, led by Prime Minister Aso Taro, and the DPJ led by the new leader Hatoyama Yukio have only minor differences in policies, pointing out that the Aso government is concentrating on “pork barrel politics” with a consumption tax increase in mind and that the DPJ continues to defend former DPJ leader Ozawa Ichiro despite the allegation that he accepted illegal donations from Nshimatsu Construction Co., Ltd.

Pointing out that in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the LDP, Komei, and the DPJ are in the ruling block supporting Governor Ishihara Shintaro, Shii said, “Only the JCP is capable of fighting to protect the interests of the general public against the harsh policies carried out by them nationally as well as in Tokyo.”

Shii explained the three main objectives the JCP is fighting for.

The first objective is to change in Japan’s economic policy. Shii pointed out that in Japan, which is in operation under a “capitalism without rules” regime, the present economic crisis is having a cruel impact on many people. He said that the immediate task is to build an “economy governed by rules” to protect basic human rights and livelihoods.

The second objective is to change the Tokyo Metropolitan Government policy. Shii revealed that Governor Ishihara and the LDP, Komei, and DPJ that form the ruling block have been cutting social services, medical services, and funding for education, and squandering tax money by building a road that costs more than 100 million yen per meter.

The third objective is to publicize the JCP’s initiatives for peace in the world.

Citing U.S. President Obama’s statement calling for a nuclear-free world, Shii’s letter to Obama, and a U.S. government letter in response, Shii said, “Peace-loving people’s struggles stimulated the U.S. government to make a statement calling on nuclear disarmament.” “In Japan, as the only a-bombed nation, now is the time to increase the call for the start of international negotiation to eliminate nuclear weapons,” Shii added.