New German minister to Japan visits JCP head office

Jorg Zimmermann, newly appointed Minister of Political Affairs to Japan,
on November 28 visited the Japanese Communist Party head office in Tokyo and
met with Ichida Tadayoshi, JCP Secretariat head.

Zimmermann said that in the past in Europe, particularly in Germany,
Japan was seen as a rival threat , but that he sees Japanese people living a
humble life unlike people in Germany where hot disputes take place over the
distribution of wealth.

JCP Ichida explained that, in "affluent" Japan, economic strength is not
used for the people's benefit, and large corporations are free to cut jobs
in the name of "restructuring." He said that the proportion of national
budget allotment to social services and public undertaking in Japan is quite
the opposite to that in the western European countries, with a clear
disadvantage to the Japanese people.Ichida said he is interested in the
economic policies of European countries (end)