Fuwa talks about motive power for changing the world in 21st century

Japanese Communist Party Central Committee Chair Fuwa Tetsuzo lectured under the title, "The motive power in the 21st century to change the world" on May 19 at an assembly to mark the 20th anniversary of the National JCP Supporters' Association of Academics.

Fuwa focused on the problem of "the new century and world outlooks."

Scientific view has been shared by most natural scientists

On the question of how the scientific view of nature has developed since the 19th century when science started to make great progress, Fuwa made the following points: In the days of Marx and Engeles, even scientists found difficulties in maintaining a scientific view of nature; some raised doubts and lost conviction, arguing that such an outlook has limitations and questioning the objective existence of material in nature.

At the beginning of the 21st century, Fuwa said, he was deeply impressed by the fact that today, many scholars active in the forefront of natural study are sharing a common view, irrespective of their world outlooks, that nature should be grasped based on its materialistic character and that such an outlook can be applied to every phenomena throughout the world.

Faced with deep multi-faceted crises, such as the problems of depression and recession, global warming, and North-South relations, capitalism has lost its capability to manage the world, Fuwa pointed out.

Then, taking up three forces working as motive powers for overcoming capitalism in the 21st century world, Fuwa raised the following three points:

First, some countries, such as China and Vietnam, which have continued to exist amidst major zigzags in the 20th century, are carrying the aim of establishing socialism as their goals.

Second, the people in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America have learned through the 20th century that they can never achieve self-reliant development within the system of global capitalism.

Of course, it is not easy to foretell whether and how present voices concerning post-capitalism will grow to seek ways toward a socialistic solution of the world problems. However, it is certain that a new move, aimed at breaking through the contemporary social system, will arise in these parts of the world in this century.

Thirdly, Fuwa talked about the question of developed capitalist countries, which are the focal point of global contradictions. In these countries, where contradictions are deepening within the ruling circles, conditions are bad for the forces aiming for social change.

Serious setbacks for the communist parties in Italy and France in the past decade can be explained from the fact that they were influenced by the former Soviet Union exercising its hegemony.

In contrast, only in Japan among the Summit member countries, the communist party has continued to exist as a party successfully holding the fort through its undaunted efforts in the latter half of the 20th century, maintaining a certain position on national politics, and carrying a fresh perspective in the 21st century.

Stressing the vital significance of the historic achievements of the JCP in the 20th century, Fuwa concluded his lecture. (end)