October 6, 2026

The 222nd extraordinary session of the Diet was convened on October 5 and is scheduled to last 69 days. Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko at the JCP Dietmembers’ general assembly on the day said, “Let us realize a consumption tax cut that really protects people’s livelihoods! Let us scrap the bill to reduce Diet seats that will destroy democracy! Let us put a stop to the government’s massive military buildup policy to meet U.S. demands!”

Tamura said that among issues needed to be focused on in the extraordinary session, the issue of implementing a consumption tax cut is the most important. She referred to the government policy to lower the tax rate only on food for two years without explaining how to cover the associated revenue loss. She criticized this policy by saying that a massive tax hike will take a direct toll on people’s livelihoods after the two-year tax cut. She stated, “Seriously protecting people’s livelihoods and reforming the tax system to ensure fairness are inseparable,” and called on JCP Dietmembers to work hard to develop a national movement calling for a uniform sales tax rate reduction to 5% through reviewing preferential tax treatment for large corporations, major shareholders, and the ultrarich.

Tamura appealed for the need to make all-out efforts to build cooperation urgently with political parties and concerned citizens regardless of ideological differences in order to prevent the ruling Liberal Democratic and “Nippon Ishin no Kai” parties’ move to destroy the current form of democracy. She expressed her determination to unify opposition parties and build solidarity with civil movements in order to block the pending bill to downsize the House of Representatives, which was proposed by the ruling coalition in the last Diet session, from entering into discussion.

Tamura criticized the Japanese government’s subservient stance toward U.S. President Trump who continues to justify U.S. attacks on Iran and promotes the campaign to dismantle the ICC. She said that this means that Japan would become a nation which rejects the “rule of law” and condones war crimes along with President Trump. Tamura noted that the government, with the review of the three key national security documents, intends to abandon the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and increase military spending to 3.5% of GDP, and said, “Let us work hard to prevent this from happening.”

Tamura said that it is necessary to urge the Japanese government and the international community to conclude an international accord aimed at pausing and terminating the AI development race as well as to establish enforceable regulations on AI use.