JCP Shii condemns ruling bloc for forcibly enacting anti-terrorism special measures law

   Immediately after the ruling bloc enacted the anti-terrorism special measures law in the January 11 House of Representatives plenary session, the Japanese Communist Party Dietmembers’ Group conducted street campaigns in protest against the outrageous act in front of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station.

   JCP Chair Shii Kazuo condemned the ruling parties for taking such a historically outrageous act by relying on the force of majority and stressed the need to establish an independent and peaceful diplomatic policy.

   Shii stated that it must not be condoned for the government and ruling parties to forcibly enact the law by taking a second vote in the House of Representatives. He pointed out that the law goes against the will of the majority of the public, that it is unconstitutional and harmful to the effort to eradicate terrorism, and that it has been pushed by those who are involved in the defense scandal.

   “Such an outrageous act will be inevitably faced with a severe public verdict,” he said.

   Shii also criticized the Democratic Party for submitting a bill which is even more dangerous than the government bill as a “counterproposal” and for abandoning at one point its policy of scrapping the government bill by calling for carrying over the two bills to the next session of the Diet.

   DPJ President Ozawa Ichiro abstained from voting on the government bill in the House of Representatives plenary session by leaving the Chamber.

   Shii criticized Ozawa’s action, stating, “It was extremely irresponsible for the head of the largest opposition party to abstain from voting at a time when the government and ruling parties were trying for the first time in more than 50 years to ram the bill a second time through the House of Representatives.”

   Although the current composition of the Diet is widely described as “twisted” because the opposition parties form a majority in the House of Councilors while the ruling parties maintain a majority in the House of Representatives, Shii stated, “What is really twisted is the relationship between the LDP-DPJ ‘two major parties’ and the interests of the public.”

   The JCP Chair stressed that the Diet discussion on the new anti-terrorism special measures bill has shown that Japan’s diplomacy needs to be drastically changed.

   Firstly, Japan must change its diplomatic stance from simply following the U.S. into one of independence and standing on its own feet. Shii called for the abolition of all laws that allow the Self-Defense Forces to be sent overseas as well as the cancellation of the projects to strengthen various functions of military bases in Japan that is being carried out in the name of the U.S. military realignment.

   The second is a change of diplomacy from prioritizing military means into one of pursuing peaceful settlement. Shii stressed that the overwhelming trend in the 21st century is to try to find a peaceful way to settle conflicts and create a world free of wars.

   “Japan needs to break away from the idea of regarding military operations as an international contribution and establish a peaceful diplomacy and implement strategies making use of Article 9,” Shii stated.
- Akahata, January 12, 2008