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JCP calls on SDP to discuss joint struggle against constitutional revision

The Japanese Communist Party on January 23 called on the Social Democratic Party to hold talks between the two parties with the aim of establishing a common front in the struggle to block adverse constitutional revision.

JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi on the same day visited the SDP office in the Diet to hand JCP Chair Shii Kazuo's letter to SDP Chair Fukushima Mizuho.

Expressing his welcome to the proposal, Mataichi Seiji, SDP secretary general, said, "The proposal will be conveyed to the SDP chair and the SDP will respond to it after discussing it within the party.

The full text of JCP Chair Shii's letter is as follows:

"With the Liberal Democratic Party approving a new draft constitution at its Congress last year, the struggle against constitutional revision focusing on Article 9 has entered a crucial stage. This makes it all the more important to make efforts to establish nationwide cooperation based on a single issue: stopping the constitutional revision that goes back on the constitutional principles of peace.

Representatives of the JCP and the SDP have often joined together in rallies organized by the Article 9 Association and other citizens' organizations in defense of the Constitution either as co-sponsors or as speakers.

On January 20, when the new JCP leadership visited the SDP office in the Diet, I mentioned these cases of cooperation and said, 'I wish to see cooperative relations develop between our two parties in order to increase the struggle for the defense of the Constitution.' Ms. Fukushima replied, 'We have no hesitation in considering SDP-JCP joint struggle in and outside of the Diet. There are no barriers on our part to such joint struggle.' We take this as a very important statement.

Of all national political parties that have seats in the Diet, only the SDP and the JCP are standing firm against constitutional revision and in defense of Article 9. If we agree to establish a joint struggle between our two parties on this issue, it will certainly help develop the popular struggle in and out of the Diet against the constitutional revision and rally a majority to this struggle.

With this, I want to propose holding talks aimed at putting up a joint struggle on the issue of the Constitution.

Looking forward to your favorable reply."
-Akahata, January 24, 2006