Japan Press Weekly

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2014 September 17 - 23 TOP3 [WORLD]

JCP disapproves of airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria

The Japanese Communist Party disapproves of U.S. airstrikes against the Sunni militant organization “Islamic State” in Syria.

JCP Secretariat Head Yamashita Yoshiki on September 24 held a press conference in the Diet building and said, “It is an important task for the international community to corner the Islamic State as it incites indiscriminate terrorist attacks. The JCP, however, cannot agree with the use of force without any endorsement by the UN Security Council.”

He emphasized the need to isolate the Islamic State “by completely cutting their access to the inflow of funds and to supply routes for weapons and influx of foreign militants”.

International cooperation is imperative to achieve this and he added, “Only UNSC discussions and a formal resolution can make it possible to build up firm international cooperation.”

Yamashita said that the air campaign will help further cultivate the breeding ground for terrorism rather than eradicating the terrorist organization because an increase in the number of civilian victims caused by the airstrikes will provoke further fury and hatred.

The JCP executive pointed to U.S. responsibility for tacitly allowing the rise of the Islamic State.

He went on to say, “The U.S. invaded Iraq and toppled the then despotic regime of Sadam Hussein but failed to accomplish its purported purpose to democratize the country. Instead, the U.S. fomented sectarian strife, causing the splitting of the country into various factions. Some factions support the Islamic State and thus led to the present situation.”