Akahata Festival determined to achieve JCP progress in 2011 local elections

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Akahata Festival determined to achieve JCP progress in 2011 local elections

More than 100,000 people from across the nation took part in the Japanese Communist Party’s 40^th Akahata Festival held for the first time in four years on November 6-7 in Tokyo, and enjoyed its political, entertainment, cultural, and sports programs.

On the main stage, on November 7, JCP Chair Shii Kazuo in his commemorative speech stressed the JCP’s value and called for a major advance in the 2011 simultaneous local elections. (see separate item)

At a program for young participants, 35 local lawmakers and candidates for local elections in their 20s and 30s from Hokkaido to Fukuoka talked about their experiences, and JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi gave a speech in encouragement.

On November 6, JCP Dietmembers Kasai Akira and Akamine Seiken together with two panelists discussed ways to solve the base issue in Okinawa and the potential to create a peaceful Japan and Asia. During the program, a message from Iha Yoichi, a candidate for the Okinawa gubernatorial election, was read out.

JCP Social Sciences Institute Director Fuwa Tetsuzo also gave a lecture entitled, “Read political history using a scientific view”.

In his lecture, Fuwa said when reading political history it is important to find a root cause of evil which undermines social progress and people’s living conditions and to understand the extent of progress of people’s power to change the society.

During the festival, classical, jazz, pop, and folk musicians gave performances on the main stage.

Invited by the JCP, Embassy officials from Cuba and East Timor attended the festival and also Ambassadors from six countries (Nikolaos Tsamados of Greece, Ahmed Araita Ali of Djibouti, Saul Arana Castellon of Nicaragua, Seiko Ishikawa of Venezuela, Samir Arrour of Morocco, and Ahmed M.R. Naili of Libya) visited the festival.

On November 7, on behalf of a delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in Japan for a theoretical exchange with the JCP, chief editor of CPV’s Nhan Dan Newspaper, Dinh The Huhnh delivered a speech of solidarity on the main stage.

- Akahata, November 7-8, 2010