JCP criticizes Japan's submission to U.S. on Iraq

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo has criticized the government and the ruling parties for labeling everyone that opposes the U.S. war policy as an Iraq supporter.

Iraq

Speaking at a regular news conference on February 26 in the Diet Building, Shii said, "The present global groundswell of calls for peace is not in support of the Hussein regime but in defense of the rules established in the U.N. Charter for peace. Labelling these calls as pro-Iraq is nothing less than the manifestation of hostile attitudes toward democracy and of subservience to the United States."

North Korea

On North Korea's missile launch on February 24, the day before the inauguration of South Korea's new president, Shii said, "North Korea should have used restraint in carrying it out for the sake of peace and stability in Northeast Asia."

The JCP chair said that the Japanese government action toward the matter was appropriate but that the Defense Agency's failure to report it to the prime minister was a problem. He was pointing out the fact that the agency had been aware of the missile launch on February 24 but did not report it to Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro until the next day. (end)