Japan Press Weekly

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2015 November 18 - 24 TOP3 [JCP]

Shii in lecture at Tokyo University calls for united anti-terrorism efforts by international community

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on November 22 delivered a lecture on the JCP proposal for a “national coalition government to repeal the war legislation” at the University of Tokyo Komaba Campus. The event was organized by the Democratic Youth League of Japan.

Shii first provided a detailed explanation about the JCP proposal to the more than 600 students who filled the lecture venue.

Shii then brought up two problems in connection with ways to abolish the war laws: how to eradicate terrorism and how to establish peace and stability in East Asia.

Regarding the issue of the elimination of terrorism worldwide, Shii clarified that the number of international terrorist acts has increased since the U.S. began its retaliatory war against Afghanistan in 2001, and that the launch of the U.S.-led Iraq war in 2003 has led to the emergence of Islamic militant groups like the so-called IS. “An increase in air raids and other military actions will not help to solve the issue. It will only strengthen the chain of hatred and vicious cycle of terrorism and war,” Shii said.

Explaining concerted actions that the global society should take, the JCP chair proposed implementing measures to tackle terrorism based on UN Security Council resolutions, including cutting off routes to funding terrorist groups, blocking the international flow of terrorists, and preventing arms trade to terrorist groups. Furthermore, Shii stressed that the international society should jointly cope with various problems such as poverty and political and religious discrimination which create the grounds for terrorism, make political and diplomatic efforts for peace and stability in Syria and Iraq by putting an end to conflicts there, and work to strengthen support to protect the human rights of refugees.

Shii pointed out that the enactment of the war legislation enhanced the possibility that Japan might have to accept an U.S. request to cooperate in air strikes against the IS. It is unforgivable for the government to expose its people to dangers from terrorist attacks, he added.

Criticizing the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s intent to create an anti-conspiracy law in regard to the recent Paris terror attacks, Shii said, “The creation of such a law has nothing to do with eliminating terrorism. It is totally unacceptable for the ruling party to use the threat of terrorism to impose draconian laws.”

Past related articles:
> Shii condemns terror attacks in Paris [November 15, 2015]
> JCP proposes establishing a national coalition gov’t to repeal war legislation [September 20, 2015]