JCP members of parliament go to Pakistan

A 4-member research team of the Japanese Communist Party left Japan for
Pakistan on October 29 to study the effects of the U.S.-led air strikes
against Afghanistan and the conditions of the refugees.

The team is led by Ogata Yasuo, JCP International Bureau director and
House of Councilors member, and includes two more JCP members of parliament.

Explaining the aim of dispatching the JCP team at a news conference on
October 26, JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi said the objective is to
gather information on how the air strikes and inhumane acts are taking
place, and determine how much damage the people are suffering there from the
war, land mines, and poverty.

The team will also interview staff members of the United Nations and
NGOs, Ichida said. (end)