Japan Press Weekly

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2016 May 25 - 31 [JCP]

This week’s JCP international activities

Ichida attends Jordanian reception

Japanese Communist Party Vice Chair Ichida Tadayoshi, also a member of the House of Councilors, on May 25 attended a reception held at a Tokyo hotel to celebrate Jordan’s Independence Day.

He offered his congratulations to Jordanian Ambassador to Japan Demiye Zuher Haddad and had conversations with other participants.


Ogata holds talks with CPC international head

Japanese Communist Party Vice Chair Ogata Yasuo, also the JCP International Committee chief, on May 25 held talks with his Chinese counterpart Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, in the Chinese capital of Beijing to exchange opinions on Japan-China relations, historical issues, and the regional situation.

Regarding the South China Sea issue, Ogata said, “As China itself recognizes, the existence of territorial disputes in the South China Sea is obvious. The JCP has no intention to get involved in any country’s handling of its territorial rights, but we do strongly believe that dialogue is the only way to resolve the issue.” He continued, “China has reclaimed reefs and shallow waters in the disputed area. It has even built an airport and military facilities there. This is against the principle of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) which China also signed. Further unilateral action should be halted.”

Song　said that China will stick resolutely to its sovereignty and maritime rights and that each country’s freedom of navigation on the seas is protected. He explained China’s stance to peacefully resolve issues through negotiations among parties concerned based on historical facts and international law.

Ogata then touched upon the topic of U.S. President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima and noted that China at international conferences keeps opposing the resolution urging world leaders to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He said, “It is the people, not the invader, who were victimized by the dropping of atomic bombs. It is natural for us to encourage world leaders to know firsthand the consequences of the inhumane bombings through their visits to the A-bombed cities and to encourage them to support efforts to never allow any government to repeat the ravages that affected innocent civilians. I’d really like you to respond in a way the general public as well as Hibakusha in particular can understand.”

He also referred to the fact that China, together with the other major nuclear powers U.S., Russia, Britain, and France, at the UN general assembly in December last year opposed the establishment of a working group on legislative measures for the realization of a world without nuclear weapons. Ogata requested that China implement an approach to meet the global public call for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Song said that China’s nuclear policy is consistent in terms of the total abolition of nuclear weapons and the non-use of nuclear weapons preemptively. He, however, expressed opposition to the approach taken by the Japanese government highlighting only Japan’s victimisation and hiding its crimes of aggression during the war.

Past related articles:
> Japan’s negative stance toward nuclear disarmament should be called into question [May 20, 2016]
> Shii: Japan should stop serving as mouthpiece for nuclear weapons states [May 15, 2016]
> Obama’s visit to Hiroshima will be historical only if it leads to departure from nuclear deterrence policy [May 12, 2016]
> Shii issues statement on Obama’s plan to visit Hiroshima [May 11 & 12, 2016]
> JCP Shii on South China Sea issues: Parties concerned should refrain from actions leading to increased tension [April 12, 2016]