May 30, 2025
Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Iwabuchi Tomo and JCP member of the House of Representatives Tatsumi Kotaro attended the 42nd Japan-EU Interparliamentary Conference which took place in the Diet building on May 28 and May 29.
Iwabuchi and Tatsumi exchanged views with visiting members of the European Parliament on issues pertaining to the environment and social media.
Iwabuchi pointed out that even 14 years after the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, at least 20,000 people are still forced to live as evacuees. She stressed the importance for Japan to shut down all nuclear power plants and increase the use of renewable sources of energy.
Iwabuchi criticized the U.S. Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, calling it “a serious betrayal of the global efforts” to combat the climate crisis. She said that Japan’s goal of cutting GHG emissions by 53% from the 2019 level by 2035 is insufficient, and that the government adheres to its policy of maintaining coal-fired power generation. Iwabuchi stated, “Learning from the EU’s ambitious reduction goals, our party will work even harder to advance Japan’s global warming countermeasures.”
Tatsumi noted that fake news and false information have been spreading on social media due to the “attention economy” which prioritizes people’s interest and attention over the accuracy of information for the purpose of making profits from advertising revenue. He said, “This has a significant impact on elections throughout the world. Some people even commit suicide driven by disinformation on social networking sites.”
He also noted that the EU places strict regulations on online platforms and digital service providers, requiring them to protect users and remove illegal content, imposing a surcharge of 6% on their worldwide sales for violations. He said, “Taking a cue from the EU measures, the JCP will be committed to introducing effective laws and regulations in Japan as well.”
Iwabuchi and Tatsumi exchanged views with visiting members of the European Parliament on issues pertaining to the environment and social media.
Iwabuchi pointed out that even 14 years after the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, at least 20,000 people are still forced to live as evacuees. She stressed the importance for Japan to shut down all nuclear power plants and increase the use of renewable sources of energy.
Iwabuchi criticized the U.S. Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, calling it “a serious betrayal of the global efforts” to combat the climate crisis. She said that Japan’s goal of cutting GHG emissions by 53% from the 2019 level by 2035 is insufficient, and that the government adheres to its policy of maintaining coal-fired power generation. Iwabuchi stated, “Learning from the EU’s ambitious reduction goals, our party will work even harder to advance Japan’s global warming countermeasures.”
Tatsumi noted that fake news and false information have been spreading on social media due to the “attention economy” which prioritizes people’s interest and attention over the accuracy of information for the purpose of making profits from advertising revenue. He said, “This has a significant impact on elections throughout the world. Some people even commit suicide driven by disinformation on social networking sites.”
He also noted that the EU places strict regulations on online platforms and digital service providers, requiring them to protect users and remove illegal content, imposing a surcharge of 6% on their worldwide sales for violations. He said, “Taking a cue from the EU measures, the JCP will be committed to introducing effective laws and regulations in Japan as well.”
