The or '''Japan Communist Party''' (JCP) (in
Japanese 日本共産党, Nihon Kyōsan-tō) is a
Political Party in
Japan .
The JCP advocates the abolition of ", which it sees as infringed by Japan's security alliance with the
United States .
The JCP is the second largest non-ruling Communist party in the world, with about 400,000 members belonging to 25,000 branches. Unlike Communist parties in Europe and elsewhere, it has not suffered an internal crisis as a result of the collapse of the
Soviet Union , nor has it considered disbanding or changing its name or fundamental objectives, as many other Communist parties have done. Its electoral strength, however, is declining. It polled 11.3 percent of the vote in
2000 , 8.2 percent in
2003 and 7.3 percent at the September
2005 election. This still means that the JCP polled nearly 5 million votes.
The JCP was founded on
July 15 ,
1922 , as an underground political association. Outlawed at once under the
Peace Preservation Law , the JCP was subjected to repression and persecution by the military and police of
Imperial Japan . It was the only political party in Japan that opposed Japan's involvement in
World War II . The party was legalised during the U.S. occupation of Japan in
1945 , and since then has been a legal political party able to contest elections. The party did not take sides during the
Sino-Soviet Split of the 1960s. It reached the peak of its electoral strength in the 1970s.
The JCP has maintained its position partly because of the collapse of the old
Japan Socialist Party , once the country's main opposition party but now (
2005 ) reduced to 5.5 percent of the vote. The new major opposition party, the
Democratic Party Of Japan , differs in its policies only slightly from the long-ruling
Liberal Democratic Party , leaving left-wing voters with no other choice than the JCP. The JCP has also been helped by recent reforms to the Japanese electoral system. It is unable to win any single-member constituencies, but retains its representation by winning some of the
Proportional Representation seats.
Lam Peng Er argued in ''
Pacific Affairs '' in
1996 that "the JCP's viability is crucial to the health of Japanese democracy." This, he says, is because: "It is the only established party in parliament that has not been coopted by the conservative parties. It performs the watchdog role against the ruling parties without fear or favor. More importantly, the JCP often offers the only opposition candidate in prefectural governorship, city mayoral and other local elections. Despite the ostensible differences between the non-Communist parties at the national level, they often support a joint candidate for governor or mayor so that all parties are assured of being part of the ruling coalition. If the JCP did not offer a candidate, there would be a walkover and Japanese voters would be offered a fait accompli without an electoral avenue of protest. Promoting women candidates in elections to win women's votes is another characteristic of the party. More women are elected under the Communist label than other political parties in Japan."
One of the JCP's main objectives is terminating the Japan-U.S. military alliance and the dismantling of all U.S. military bases in Japan. It wants to make Japan a
Non-aligned and
Neutral Country , in accordance with its principles of
Self-determination and
National Sovereignty . (In Japan there are about 130 U.S. military bases and other related facilities,
Okinawa having the largest U.S. military base in
Asia ).
The JCP also strives to change the nation's economic policy of what it sees as serving the interests of large corporations and banks to one of "defending the interests of the people," and to establish "democratic rules" that will check the activities of large corporations and "protect the lives and basic rights of the people."
The JCP also opposes
Nuclear Weapons and military blocs, and opposes any attempt to revise
Article 9 Of The Constitution Of Japan , which says that "never again …...
{Link without Title} be visited with the horrors of war through the action of government" and declares that "sovereign power resides with the people."
Regarding the issue of the international economy, the JCP has advocated establishing a new international democratic economic order on the basis of respect for the economic sovereignty of each country. The JCP sees the
United States , transnational corporations and international financial capital as pushing
Globalization , which, it says, is seriously affecting the global economy, including the monetary and financial problems, as well as North-South and environmental problems. The JCP advocates "democratic regulation of activities by transnational corporations and international financial capital on an international scale."
The JCP has called for immediate changes in Japan's foreign policy. Regarding the resolution of disputes, it argues that priority must be given to peaceful means through negotiations, not to military solutions. The JCP says that Japan adhere to the
U.N. Charter . It also adheres to the idea that Japan as an Asian country must stop putting emphasis on diplomacy centering on relations with the United States and the
G8 Summit, and put Asian diplomacy at the center of its foreign relations. It supports Japan establishing an "independent foreign policy in the interests of the Japanese people," and rejects "uncritically following any foreign power." It also advocates that Japan express remorse and apologies for its actions during World War II as aa prerequisite for developing relations with the rest of Asia.
The JCP stance on international
Terrorism is that only by "encircling the forces of terror through strong international solidarity with the
United Nations at the center" can terrorism be eliminated. It argues that waging war as a response to terrorism "produces a rift and contradictions in international solidarity, which instead expands the breeding ground of terrorism."
While the JCP was firmly against the
Imperial House both during all of the pre-war and most of the post-war era, it has recently said that it is not opposed to the
Emperor remaining as Japan's head of state if he has no power and is only a figurehead.
The JCP for many years had close relations with the ruling party in
North Korea , the
Workers Party Of Korea . But in recent years the JCP has condemned the
North Korean Abductions Of Japanese and claims to no longer have any relationship with North Korea. In line with its self-determination ideals, however, it opposes a forced regime change there.
