Japan Press Weekly

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2009 February 4 - 10 [JCP]

Shii meets with ambassador of Mexico

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on February 9 received Ambassador of Mexico Miguel Ruiz-Cabañas Izquierdo at the JCP head office and discussed the current relation between Japan and Mexico as well as the Latin American situation.

Ambassador Ruiz-Cabañas said that last year was the 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and this year marks the 400th anniversary of the friendship that started when the Mexican people under Spanish colonial rule made the first contact with Japanese citizens. He explained that the bilateral relationship is steadily developing in economic, cultural, and many other fields.

Referring to Mexico’s effort to get nuclear weapons abolished as a New Agenda Coalition member and the fact that the ambassador himself has taken part in the World Conference against A & H Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the JCP chair stressed the importance of strengthening activities to eliminate nuclear weapons.

The Ambassador stressed that his country has recognized the abolition of nuclear weapons as an urgent issue and is making efforts to accomplish this.

Stating that Mexico opposed the U.S.-led Iraq war as a nonpermanent Security Council member and withdrew from the Rio Treaty, Shii stressed that establishment of a community of all 33 Latin America and Caribbean countries, proposed last December at their summit meeting by Mexican President Felipe Calderón, is significant for a development of a community for peace.