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2017 August 9 - 15 TOP3 [POLITICS]

JCP publishes statement on 72nd anniversary of WWII’s end

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira published the following statement on the 72nd anniversary of Japan’s surrender to the Allied Powers on August 15.

As we observe the 72nd anniversary of the end of World War II on August 15, the Japanese Communist Party mourns for all victims of Japanese militarism which waged wars of aggression and placed many Asian countries under its colonial rule.

The current Japanese political situation is at a historic turning point between war and peace. Keeping in mind the horrors and lessons of war, Japanese people wholeheartedly embraced Article 9 of the Constitution as a world treasure. In order to defend this precious treasure and create a peaceful Japan making the most of the Constitution, the JCP heartily calls on all peace-loving people to unite together regardless of difference in thought, belief, and political stances.

The government led by Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has trampled on constitutionalism, bulldozed through the war laws and the Cabinet decision to allow for Japan’s use of the collective self-defense right, and taken a major step toward the creation of a nation participating in U.S. wars abroad. PM Abe on May 3, Constitution Day, trumpeted his ambition to revise the Constitution. He intends to change Clause 2 of Article 9 which prescribes the prohibition of war potential and the denial of the right of belligerency into a dead letter by adding a new clause which legitimatizes the Self-Defense Forces and opens a path for Japan’s limitless use of arms in other countries.

On this day, August 15, which provides an opportunity for Japanese people to renew their vow for peace, the JCP emphasized its determination to work even harder to block PM Abe’s reckless ambition to turn Japan into a war-fighting nation.

A growing number of people are increasing their distance from PM Abe, who uses his authority for his own interests and recklessly implements anti-people policies which not only undermine the Constitution and democracy but also disregard public opinion. Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeat in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election in July, receiving a severe verdict from the general public. Nevertheless, Abe is still insisting on revising Article 9 of the Constitution. His political stance is rooted in his historical view which glorifies Japan’s past war of aggression and its colonial rule over Asian countries and attacks the post-war Japanese Constitution. The Abe government, which continues to turn its back on people’s will, has no future.

The JCP and three other opposition parties have agreed to oppose the revision of Article 9 pushed by the Abe regime. In addition, there is a strong movement for collaboration between these four opposition parties with citizens seeking to defend Article 9. The JCP will do its utmost to further advance opposition parties-citizens joint struggles and cooperate with as many people as possible in order to bring down the Abe government and realize a new direction in politics.

In the international arena, a big step has been taken towards the abolition of nuclear weapons and world peace. With support from about two-thirds of UN member nations, the UN nuclear weapons ban treaty was adopted. This epoch-making achievement clearly shows that a large number of smaller countries and civil societies throughout the world now play an important role in the global political stage previously held by a handful of super powers and their subordinates. Nuclear weapons states and their allies are being driven into a corner.

However, the Abe government is going counter to this international trend toward the elimination of nuclear weapons despite the fact that Japan is the only A-bombed country in the world. Japan did not join the UN talks on the N-ban treaty and declared that it will not sign the treaty. Hibakusha and residents of the A-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have expressed their condemnation of and strong protest against the Abe government. This year’s Nagasaki Peace Declaration states that the Abe government’s stance “is incomprehensible to those of us living in the cities that suffered atomic bombings” and urges the government to “reconsider the policy of relying on the nuclear umbrella and instead join the Nuclear Prohibition Treaty at the earliest possible opportunity”.

The JCP strongly demands that the Japanese government seriously consider joining the nuclear weapons ban treaty. In response to Japanese people’s earnest wish for a world free from nuclear weapons, the party calls for the development of opposition parties-citizens collaboration to create a government that is willing to sign the treaty.

Past related articles:
> Smaller countries play important role in producing antinuke UN treaty [July 13, 2017]
> JCP issues statement on 71st anniversary of end of WWII [August 15, 2016]