Japan Press Weekly

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2016 June 29 - July 5 TOP3 [JCP]

Shii condemns deadly terror attack in Dhaka

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on July 3 in Kyoto speaking to the press condemned a terrorist attack in the Bangladeshi capital city of Dhaka that killed 20 people including 7 Japanese nationals. He said that political and diplomatic approaches are essential to combat acts of terrorism.

Regarding the report that the extremist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the outrage, Shii said, “What created the IS? Even authorities (of the U.S. and Britain) admit that the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq gave rise to this monster.”

Shii stressed, “War will not eliminate terrorism, but cause a vicious cycle of more war and terrorism. To break this cycle is important.” The JCP chair said that the need for the international community is to work together to corner terrorists with police and judicial powers.

Asked by the press about the Japanese government’s handling of the incident, Shii said that it will need to be carefully evaluated. He noted that Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide was absent from the Prime Minister’s Office in order to join in street speeches in support of Liberal Democratic Party candidates running in the Upper House election race. Shii stated that as the Chief Cabinet Secretary has direct responsibility for crisis management it is a huge problem for Suga to prioritize the election campaign.