Japanese Communist Party increases its seats to 21 from 8 seats in general election

Japanese Communist Party leader Kazuo Shii, right, smiles as he shakes hands with Tadayoshi Ichida, the party’s vice chair at the party’s headquarters in Tokyo

In the House of Representatives general election held on December 14, the Japanese Communist Party increased its number of seats to 21 from its pre-election strength of eight. It gained support from voters averse to the ruling coalition parties. The party won a seat in a single-seat constituency race for the first time since the 1996 lower house election, and took 20 in proportional representation blocs. The JCP is now entitled to submit a bill unrelated to the budget, which requires a minimum of 20 seats. It was also the first time that the party secured double-digit seats since the 2000 lower house election. Meanwhile, other minor opposition parties failed to increase the number of their seats. The JCP clearly demonstrated a confrontational stance against the ruling parties, raising objections to the consumption tax hike and the restart of nuclear power plants.

 The JCP won a single-seat constituency in Okinawa where the party staged its fight in collaboration with all anti-U.S. military base forces. Okinawans defeated all Liberal Democratic Party candidates who supported the base construction and ran for the single-seat constituencies in the prefecture.

The JCP obtained 20 proportional representation seats. In single-seat constituencies in Okinawa, JCP candidate Akamine Seiken, who contested the election with support from the People’s Life and Social Democratic parties, was elected. The JCP achieved a victory in single-seat constituencies for the first time since 1996.

The LDP decreased its number of seats by three to 291. It lost all of the four single-seat blocs in Okinawa. However, as its coalition partner the Komei Party added four seats to its pre-election strength of 31 seats, the ruling coalition occupies over two-thirds of the seats in the Lower House.

The Democratic Party of Japan gained 11 seats held to total 73 seats. The Japan Innovation Party (former the Japan Restoration Party) reduced its seats by one to 41. The Party for Future Generations fell to two seats from 19. The People’s Life Party lost three from its previous total of five. The SDP secured its pre-election strength of two seats.

Shii comments on the election results

Japanese Communist Party Shii Kazuo on the evening of election day held a press conference at the JCP Head Office in Tokyo, thanking every JCP member and supporter who called on as many potential voters as possible to support the JCP and JCP candidates.

As a brief review of the election campaign, Shii said, “Prime Minister Abe Shinzo asserted that Abenomics is ‘the only way’ but quite a number of voters felt that that might be a dangerous path to continue. We’ve never softened our head-on stance against Abe’s runaway policies. This is why, I think, our party gained so much support in the election this time.”

He also said that many voters showed their high regard for JCP counterproposals presented during the election campaign dealing with economic and diplomatic issues based on the people-first principle, and he expressed his determination to fulfill the JCP election promise in the Diet with all the JCP lawmakers in the House of Representatives and House of Councilors working in concert. The party will keep up the pressure and will work to increase various single-issue movements together with the general public, he added.

Regarding the election results in Okinawa, Shii said that it was an epoch-making achievement beating all pro-base candidates running for the election from Okinawa’s single-seat constituencies. He expressed his delight with JCP Akamine Seiken’s victory in one of the four single-seat constituencies in Okinawa. He extended his gratitude especially to all the Okinawans who strived for the victory of the JCP candidate irrespective of whether they are conservatives or progressives.

He gave a special thanks to Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi, Naha City Mayor Shiroma Mikiko, local business leaders, and those in the former LDP faction Shinpukai who were ousted from the LDP because they maintained their opposing stance against a new U.S. base in Henoko, for their efforts.

He said that the government, if it is in a truly democratic country, should listen to the demands of Okinawans as clearly shown in the election. To that end, the JCP will work even harder to press the government to cancel the new base construction plan and dismantle the Futenma base, he stressed.

CPIM Rajasthan State Conference

 

CPIM  Rajasthan state conference ahead of the 21st Party congress to be held at Visakhapatnam in April 2015 was held at Raisingnagar in Ganganagar district from December 11 to December 13.

 

The public meeting organised as part of the conference was inaugurated by Com. Prakash Karat. He called upon the Left forces to fight a twin battle against the attacks on livelihood of the people and communal polarization. Karat said that it has already become evident whose ‘good days’ have arrived in six months of Modi government. Profits of the corporates are increasing rapidly whereas the expenditure and subsidy for the social welfare has decreased. The Modi government has unleashed attack on the employment opportunities by drastically cutting down allocation for the MNREGA. Likewise, whatever scope for compensation for peasants were provided for in the land acquisition Act, are being diluted. The labour reforms are virtually giving the employers the free right to fire the workers and curtailing social security of the working people. Rajasthan has become the laboratory for neo liberal attacks including labour law reforms, he said. Karat also said that Rajasthan is also one of the laboratories for experimenting with Hindutva. After a RSS ‘pracharak’ has assumed power as Prime Minister, the Hindutva forces are out to capture all spheres including education and culture. They are out to divide the people so as to minimize the resistance against neo liberal aggression. Party Central Committee members Hannan Mollah, Joginder Sharma, veteran leader of the Party Hetram Beniwal  and Rajasthan state secretary Basudeo were among the others who spoke at the meeting.

 

The Rajasthan State conference of the CPI(M) which concluded on Dec 13 elected a 33 member state committee. The state committee at its first meeting elected Com. Amra Ram as its Secretary and an eight member Secretariat.

WB CM should have resigned : CPI-M

‘The Current TMC run State Government of West Bengal comprises of thieves and dacoits “Said Left Front Chairman Biman Basu addressing  a lakh strong CPI(M) workers of North 24 Pargana’s district in Kolkata’s Shahid Minar Maidan. Attacking the BJP for forced conversion of Muslim youths in Agra, he said that immediately programme for communal harmony will  be taken up in the state at a time when the BJP and the TMC is trying to bifurcate the people of the state on communal lines .   

  In the programme which was presided over by CPI(M) leader Tarit boron Topdaar, financial aid  was handed over to  19 martyrs of the state during the last one year . The Meeting also expressed its profane grief towards the  Left Martyrs  and towards the  120children who  died in a suicidal bomb attack  at an army school at Peshwar of Pakistan, today .  

 In his address CPI(M) Politbureau member and the Leader of the opposition of West Bengal assembly  Dr   Suryakanta  Mishra  told that  the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee if she had slightest  morality  should immediately step down from his Chief Ministership  as her  and her partys’ involvement in the Sarada scam has become crystal clear .  He said that already one M is behind the bars in the sarda scam  and two M are outside waiting for their turn ( First M= Madan Mitra  and Second and third M  being  Former Railway MInister Mukul Roy and  Mamata  Banerjee herself ) He also informed the rally participants  that  according to reports  over 200 chit Fund companies  which had sprouted the state after the change of regime in the state has  garnered  over 60000 crore rupees from the people of the state . He also appealed to the people of the state and even to those who still are  with the TMC to come forward against  the  Thievesand dacoits who are occupying pivotal position in the state Government .

Addressing the lakh strong crowd   who had gathered at the venue from all throughout North 24pargans district  from places of Sundarbans  to the  industrial hub of Kaanchrapara  Left Front Chairman BIman Basu   also made attack towards  the present Transport Minister of the state who is languishing in the Jail  arrested by the CBI  and said  that the TMC government  has emptied the coffers of the state by stealing both the Government  money and the money  coming from the Chit Fund companies like Sarada .

CPI(M) Central Committee member and  North 24 pargans district Secretary  Gautam Deb  in a televised address to   the lakh strong full capacity crowd at Shahid Minar grounds  urged the population  of the state to rise in revolt again the queen of lies that is the present chief minister of the state who has even lied about her educational qualification and had declared her to be a doctorate from a fictitious foreign University , Remembering the words  of Jyoti Basu  he said that it was JYoti Basu who has rightly told Mamata Banerjee never speaks the  truth . He also warned the state’s population against the media hype  focusing on BJP’s campaign in the state .  He said that Jyoti Basu used to say that Mamata Banerjee’s greatest  folly is the fact that she had nurtured a crocodile  like the BJP  when that Party did not  have  an iota of base in West Bengal.