March 26, 2026

The funeral of Fuwa Tetsuzo, former Central Committee chair of the Japanese Communist Party, took place on March 25 at the Shinjuku Bunka Center in Tokyo. He passed away on December 30, 2025, aged 95.

More than 900 people attended the service, including JCP members, representatives from the foreign diplomatic missions of Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and China, members of the media, and figures from the academic and cultural communities with whom the late Fuwa had ties.

Among those present were House of Representatives Speaker Mori Eisuke, House of Councillors Vice President Fukuyama Tetsuro, and representatives from the Liberal Democratic Party, the Centrist Reform Alliance, the “Nippon Ishin no Kai” party, the Democratic Party for the People, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the “Komeito” party, the Social Democratic Party, the “Okinawa Whirlwind” parliamentary group, and the New Socialist Party.

JCP CC Chair Shii Kazuo delivered a eulogy on behalf of the JCP.

Shii stated that Fuwa had often spoken of his deep trust in and conviction that the people are the protagonists who change society. He added that his predecessor had anticipated that the people may take a zigzag path, but that in the long run, they will drive society forward ‘through their own experiences’.” He continued, “At the root of Fuwa’s conviction lies the unshakable worldview of scientific socialism that the ‘people’s struggle makes history’.”

The JCP CC chair then expressed his determination, stating, “No matter how difficult the times may be, we will stand by the people in their suffering, place our trust in their evolving understanding, and persevere in our work with a ‘revolutionary, long-term perspective toward the future’.”

Past related article:
> Former JCP Central Committee Chair Fuwa Tetsuzo dies [December 31, 2025]