Japan Press Weekly

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2011 November 30 - December 6 TOP3 [JCP]

JCP CC 4th Plenum: ‘Two-party’ system is facing a collapse

The Japanese Communist Party Central Committee held its 4th Plenum on December 3 and 4 at its head office in Tokyo.

On behalf of the Executive Committee, JCP Chair Shii Kazuo gave a report to the Plenum. First, he made clear the characteristics of the Noda Cabinet which has been brought about through the failures of his predecessors in the Democratic Party of Japan-led governments, Hatoyama Yukio and Kan Naoto. The course of these governments shows that the “two-party” system is facing a collapse, and Shii explained in detail that a new situation is emerging, which increases the possibility that people become aware of the real point of contention existing between the DPJ-LDP-Komei and the JCP.

The report states that the public quest for a new turn in politics will continue, and that cooperation between the JCP and all strata of people is increasing. The unprecedented experience of the major earthquake/tsunami disaster and the nuclear accident accelerated such moves toward cooperation. The report also states that this move led to JCP advances in the three disaster-hit prefectural assembly elections, and that a historical situation promising change is emerging in Okinawa Prefecture over the Futenma base issue. The report at the same time specifically refers to the maneuvers aimed at responding to the ongoing political impasse in a reactionary manner, and calls for struggling against these moves.

Shii summed up the present political situation in Japan as standing at a historical crossroads, and called on members to work hard to demonstrate the JCP’s true value as the party calling for social change.

Secondly, the report refers to the heightened movements of people in various fields and the JCP role in them. The report gives details of various reconstruction efforts from the major disaster and the nuclear disaster, struggles aimed at a Japan free of NPPs; struggles opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and the Futenma base transfer; struggles against the plan to increase the consumption tax and adversely revise the social services system; demands to eliminate poverty and the widening income gaps by rehabilitating employment, household economy, and the national economy; and the struggle to reform the election system. The report calls for a rapid development of struggles to realize various demands by ways of a joint struggle on a single point of issue. The report also calls for increasing efforts to have the JCP position endorsed by a majority of the general public.

Shii, thirdly, reported on the upcoming general election. He called on all JCP organizations to work even harder in prefectures which fall short of gaining 5% of the votes cast for the JCP. He proposed putting up a JCP candidate in all single-seat constituencies and several candidates in all proportional representation blocs. He stated that with the proportional representation election at the center, the party will set a goal to receive more than 6.5 million votes or 10% of total votes, and to win more than one seat in all proportional representation blocs.

Fourthly, reporting on party buildup, Shii proposed achieving an increase in JCP membership by 50,000, the daily Akahata readership by 50,000, and the Akahata Sunday edition readership by 170,000.

Finally, Shii pointed out that the basis of the present monetary crisis lies on the overproduction crisis, and that the latter crisis is being greatly increased. The poverty rate and gaps between the rich and the poor are also increasing on a global scale. Under such circumstances, the works of Marx are gaining much attention from the world. Shii called on all JCP members to study more and talk more about a vision for change, which is indicated in the JCP Program and its interpretation of scientific socialism.

In the 4th CC Plenum, JCP candidates for the general election as well as in House of Councilors proportional representation elections were introduced. The Plenum was broadcast live throughout Japan via the Internet.

During the two-day session, 53 members of the Central Committee took the floor to respond to the Executive Committee’s report.

To conclude the discussions, Executive Committee Chair Shii Kazuo took the floor and encouraged all JCP members to analyze and comprehend the ongoing situation, the party election policy, and the party buildup effort as one package. Shii then stressed the need to prepare to bring the package into shape. Citizens’ movements are dramatically increasing in various fields, and behind the widespread cooperation between the JCP and the people involved in movements is the collapse of the support base for “the two- party system”. This collapse is offering a greater possibility to bring about a change in the power balance between political parties. Shii emphasized that the JCP should take advantage of this change to achieve a JCP advance. As for the election policy, he said that many people are expecting the JCP to field a candidate in all single-seat electoral districts. He argued that to overcome the difficulty in putting up a candidate in each district, it is necessary to increase the number of JCP members and strengthen the financial ground based on self-reliance and independence. Regarding the party buildup, he stated that all members should work to help realize public demands in tandem with the party buildup effort. He added that all members should also subscribe to the daily Akahata and make efforts to build a stronger party based on the decisions made by the Central Committee.

The Central Committee unanimously adopted the Executive Committee report and endorsed its conclusion. All the members of the Central Committee resolved to take a lead in discussing the Program and policies with all JCP members to help them to understand the decisions reached at the 4th CC Plenum. The Plenum was adjourned after pledging to make a success of the party buildup effort and achieve a JCP victory in the next general election.