Japan Press Weekly

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2023 October 25 - 31 [POLITICS]

50 years since ex-Okinawa People’s Party joined with JCP

October 31 this year marks the 50th anniversary since the former Okinawa People’s Party, which had played a leading role in the reversion movement under U.S. occupation, merged with the Japanese Communist Party.

On July 20, 1947, the Okinawa People’s Party, under a situation where the oppression of the JCP still continued, was founded with the aim of establishing democracy based on the spirit of the Potsdam Declaration.

The San Fransisco Treaty took effect in April 1952. It separated Okinawa from Japan and put Okinawa under U.S. “civil administrative jurisdiction”. The Okinawa People’s Party, however, did not pledge its loyalty to the U.S. occupation forces. Because of this, the party was oppressed in various ways.

In 1954, an incident called the People’s Party incident occurred in which the late Senaga Kamejiro, the party’s secretary general, and other party leaders were arrested and jailed. However, they did not give in to the major crackdown. They stayed active in working to support local residents whose land properties were seized with the force of bayonets and bulldozers, improve workers’ rights, and defend Okinawans’ daily lives.

The Okinawa People’s Party, being aware of the importance of forming a united front, worked in collaboration with the Okinawa Social Mass Party and achieved the return of Okinawa to Japan.

In May 1972, the administrative right of Okinawa was “returned” to Japan. In July 1972, the JCP at its Central Committee plenum decided to evolve and develop itself to be a party of scientific socialism. On October 31, 1973, the organizational merger of the Okinawa People’s Party with the JCP was adopted at the JCP Extraordinary Congress.