Japan Press Weekly

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2013 November 20 - 26 [YOUTH]

DYLJ 37th congress: Let’s become large and reliable for representing youth

The Democratic Youth League of Japan resolved to “build a larger and more reliable DYLJ for young people” in its 37th National Congress held in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on November 22 - 24.

On the first day of the congress, Chair Tanaka Yu presented a draft resolution. He pointed out that the DYLJ’s struggles contributed to a major change in politics. The league is required to play its role to stop the runaway policies of the Abe Cabinet which are causing severe conflicts with the demands of youth, Tanaka stressed.

The DYLJ chair proposed that the youth group work to involve broader coalition of youth taking part in various single-issue movements based on their demands and in activities of learning scientific socialism and the Japanese Communist Party Program.

Regarding organizational building, Tanaka said that the DYLJ has attracted 870 new members and 570 new subscribers to its biweekly organ since the last National Congress. He called for increases of 1,500 in both membership and readership by the next year’s congress.

On the next day, Japanese Communist Party Acting Secretariat Head Yamashita Yoshiki delivered a speech. He pointed out that the DYLJ has played an important part in the strengthening of single-issue struggles in various fields and that the JCP submitted a bill to regulate “black corporations” in line with the DYLJ’s campaign calling for the protection of young workers from abusive working conditions.

Delegates from all around the country reported on their activities. A delegate from Tokyo said that they distributed 190,000 leaflets revealing the exploitative and abusive practices of black corporations and succeeded in making this issue a focus of the July Upper House election. A university student in Aichi Prefecture stated that they established a student group opposing the secrets protection bill and that it is working hard for the abolishment of the bill.

On November 24, the last day of the congress, they unanimously adopted the resolution and selected new leadership members.

Tanaka, who was re-elected as a chair, in the closing address called on DYLJ members to make efforts to convince more young people that the voice of the youth can change the society.

Past related articles
> DYLJ resolves to change Japanese society through young people’s efforts [November 24-26, 2012]
> DYLJ national congress seeks to build stronger organization in Japanese society after 3.11 [November 19-21, 2011]