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2024 September 4 - 10 [JCP]

JCP EC Chair Tamura answers questions from audience at ‘Twilight Street Talk’

Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko, at a talk event called “Twilight Street Talk” held in the evening of September 5 in Chofu City, Tokyo, answered questions from the audience.

Many citizens on their way home stopped by and joined the event.

No free time because of too many tests and homework

In response to a complaint from a junior high school student, Tamura said that an extremely competitive education system has become the mainstream in Japan as a result of the business world’s demand for “development of easy-to-use human resources for companies”. However, she went on to say, “Time for leisure and play is a basic children’s right. In order to stop excessive competitive education and to restore free time for children even under a capitalist society, we want to cooperate with many people.”

Society is still not gender equal

Tamura pointed out that the “maximization of immediate profits” or the profit-first principle of capitalism has long been at the expense of women in particular. She criticized the business world for still maintaining substantial wage disparities between “career” and “non-career” track positions, the former are mainly for men, the latter for women (i.e., gender discrimination in workplaces), in order to use women as “cheap labor”. She emphasized the need to resolve this problem even under capitalism, adding that gender discrimination will be eliminated if society transforms into socialism or communism in which exploitation is eradicated and the ability of each individual is valued.

What kind of society does the JCP envision?

Tamura said that by returning exploited wages and time back to workers, “free time will be guaranteed to all, which will enrich everyone’s life and society overall as well.” She also said, “I will continue to work to change the current politics to increase the amount of ‘time not tied to work’ and ‘time for oneself’.”