Japan Press Weekly

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2017 December 20 - 2018 January 9 [JCP]

JCP Koike in Mindan’s organ paper: Remorse over past war of aggression is basis for true Japan-S. Korea friendship

January 3, 2018

The organ paper of the Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan) on January 1 carried an interview with Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira under the headline reading, “Japan needs to sincerely face its past act of invasion.”

In the “Mindan Shimbun” interview, Koike pointed out that the question is whether the Japanese side can adopt a sincere stance toward its invasion of and colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula as a precondition for building a heart-to-heart friendship between Japan and South Korea. Koike went on to say that Japan needs to squarely face its past deeds and deepen an understanding of them, which is an essential basis for helping peoples in the two countries get to know each other.

Koike stressed, “Even though 73 years have passed since the end of the war, it seems that the Japanese government is still reluctant to accept Japan’s past history.” He noted that although Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII used the word “invasion”, the statement did not clarify who had done that. Koike criticized Abe’s statement for lacking remorse over the fact that Japan has to own up to its responsibility for its past war of aggression.

Koike said that biased views of the history are the root cause of hate speech against foreign residents and other minorities in Japan. He talked about the JCP history in which after the March 1st Korean independence movement in 1919, the JCP expressed its solidarity with the popular uprising on the Korean Peninsula. Koike said, “The JCP has the responsibility and qualification to fight against historical revisionism. In order to achieve a real Japan-South Korea friendship, the JCP will play its role.”

Koike argued that permanent foreign residents should have the right to vote as they are members of local communities, in light of the historical facts, the constitutional principle of local autonomy, and the international trend. He expressed his determination to urgently realize the extension of suffrage through joint efforts across party lines.

Concerning the North Korea crisis, Koike explained the party’s proposal for the creation of a community of peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia. He underscored the importance of nurturing mutual trust by using the Six-Party Talks aiming to deter North Korea’s nuclear and missile development programs. Koike stressed, “The JCP will work to help solve various pending issues between Japan and South Korea, which will also contribute to giving shape to the JCP’s proposal. The need for Japan is to embrace a solid historical recognition of its past.”