September 22, 2025

Japanese Communist Party Central Committee Chair Shii Kazuo, sent a message to the Annual Conference of Peace & Justice Project, which is led by Mr. Jeremy Cobyn, the former leader of the U.K. Labor Party. The full text of his message is as follows:

On the occasion of the Peace & Justice Project Annual Conference 2025, I would like to extend my heartfelt greetings of solidarity.

The principles of peace, human rights, and social and economic justice that guide this conference carry profound significance at a time when division and violence are spreading across the world. The coming together of diverse voices in London to envision a future of peace and solidarity is itself a powerful source of hope.

I had the opportunity to meet and exchange views with Jeremy Corbyn in Berlin last August, and again this August in Tokyo and Hiroshima. These were invaluable occasions where we could reflect on the importance of strengthening solidarity between the peace and progressive forces of Japan and Europe in facing the common challenges of our time. Sharing the experience of Hiroshima, we spoke of the urgent task of nuclear abolition and the broader work of defending peace and human dignity—discussions that offered deep encouragement for our movements in Japan.

Today, genocide is unfolding in Gaza, threatening the very survival and dignity of the Palestinian people. Stopping this violence and deepening solidarity with Palestine is a historic responsibility that falls upon us all. At the same time, building and reinforcing a peace order grounded in international law must be recognized as a universal task of our age.

Meanwhile, the rise of far-right nativism and racism across many countries is eroding social cohesion and undermining the foundations of peace and democracy. Resisting these forces and upholding societies based on mutual respect for diversity is also a vital struggle we share.

We pledge to continue walking side by side with all those striving for peace and justice, to confront oppression in Gaza and beyond, to rebuild a peace order rooted in international law, and to expand the circle of solidarity against far-right exclusionary politics. With these commitments, we send our strongest support for the success of this conference and for the new hope that will emerge from it.

September 18, 2025

SHII KAZUO
Chair, Central Committee, Japanese Communist Party
Member of the House of Representatives of Japan