Japan Press Weekly

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2023 January 11 - 17 [JCP]

Koike and Kasai attend Mindan’s New Year party

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on January 13 attended a New Year party hosted by the Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan) in Tokyo.

Together with Koike, JCP member of the House of Representatives Kasai Akira, who is an executive member of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians’ Union, took part in the party.

Koike and Kasai exchanged greetings with Mindan Central Headquarters president Yuh Keun-ie, South Korean Ambassador to Japan Yun Duk-min, and chair of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union Chung Jin-suk.

Yuh in his opening speech placed value on a UN Human Rights Committee recommendation which was issued November last year as “epoch-making”. The recommendation calls on the Japanese government to revise relevant laws in order to allow Korean permanent residents in Japan and their descendants the right to vote in local elections. The Mindan president said that for Korean residents in Japan, local suffrage is an essential human rights, and called for law revisions.

Pointing out that North Korea’s nuclear threats have been increasing, Yuh appealed for the need to push North Korea to give up on its nuclear missile development and the need to abolish nuclear weapons.

JCP Koike delivering a congratulatory speech welcomed the UN recommendation as just cited by the Mindan head, and said, “This came about thanks to Mindan’s tenacious efforts.” He went on to say, “Although Korean residents fulfill their obligations in Japanese society including paying taxes, they are excluded from the voting right. This is totally unacceptable.” He expressed his determination to build cross-party support for law revisions.

Koike noted that various efforts have been made in regard to the improvement of relations between Japan and South Korea, and said, “Under the current situation, in order to settle the issue of wartime forced Korean laborers in Japan and the issue of the Japanese military’s use and abuse of so-called ‘comfort women’ (sex slaves), the need is to adopt the position of restoring the victims’ honor and dignity. This is the only way to open the door for a comprehensive settlement of the issue.” He pointed out that the Japanese government should stand firm on the position of showing a sincere remorse over Japan’s past colonial rule, and said, “We, the JCP, will work hard to improve bilateral relations based on this spirit.”