JCP statement on the results of the general election

Japanese Communist Party Standing Executive Committee on October 28 issued a statement on the results of the House of Representatives election held on the previous day. The full text of the statement is as follows:

On the results of the general election

October 28, 2024
Japanese Communist Party Standing Executive Committee

(1)

The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties suffered a historic defeat in the general election held on 27 October, failing to retain its parliamentary majority. It is clear that voters have delivered a harsh verdict on LDP-style politics.

In the bigger picture, this marks the beginning of a new political process in which the people are seeking and searching for a new political alternative to the LDP-style politics. The JCP wholeheartedly welcomes this historic outcome.

The JCP and its organ Akahata played a decisive role in helping to create this political upheaval. The paper revealed that many LDP lawmakers were using fund-raising parties to set up slush funds, and during the election campaign it broke the news that the LDP leadership had paid 20 million yen to former LDP lawmakers who were up for election even though they were denied party endorsement because of their involvement in setting up slush funds. The money came out of government subsidies paid to the LDP. The revelation drastically changed the atmosphere in the final stages of the campaign as both ruling and opposition party officials admitted. We are convinced that the JCP made a significant contribution to pushing the LDP-Komei government into a corner.

Under the new turbulent political climate, each party will now be sharply tested on whether they will meet the people’s earnest wishes for a ban on political donations by companies and organizations, the continued use of paper health insurance cards, changes to the system to allow married couples to choose to use their pre-marital surnames, and a stop to tuition hikes. Public opinion and fighting will also open up the possibility of moving politics in a positive direction.

As a party that has the position of fundamentally correcting the political distortions of “putting the interests of the business world first” and “regarding the Japan-U.S. military alliance as inviolable,” and as a party that carries a solid banner for changing LDP politics in both domestic and foreign affairs, the JCP is determined to make every effort to realize our election pledges by launching campaigns based on the demands of the people in all fields, while engaging in parliamentary debates in both the lower and upper houses of the Diet.

(2)

In the single-member constituency system in the general election, the JCP won the re-election of Akamine Seiken from Okinawa’s 1st district. This is a great victory won with the help of the All-Okinawa movement working with JCP activists and its supporters in Okinawa and throughout Japan.

In the proportional representation system, unfortunately, the JCP obtained 7 seats, down from 9 seats. It received 3,362,000 votes (6.16% of the total), less than the 3,618,000 votes (6.82% of the total) the JCP received in the 2022 House of Councilors election, the previous national election. It is very frustrating that we lost seats and votes in the proportional representation election and were unable to retain the seats we held in the Tohoku and Tokyo blocs. The standing executive committee is keenly aware of its responsibility in this outcome.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the voters who supported the JCP and to all the supporters and party members for their hard work, and apologize for not meeting their expectations.

By listening to the opinions of everyone inside and outside the party and applying them to our future struggles, we will make sure that in the coming national elections, we will turn the tables and go on the offensive.

(3)

In the campaign period, the JCP advocated for the “five changes”: to fundamentally address the issue of corruption in politics and restore trust in politics; change politics from favoring big corporations and the rich to prioritizing people’s daily lives; stop the move to create a “war state” based on the Japan-US military alliance and instead create peace through diplomacy; protect human survival from the climate crisis with zero coal-fired power and zero nuclear power plants; and promote a movement for gender equality. These proposals met with the voters’ sentiments and demands and became topics of discussion during the election campaign.

Our new policy proposal, “Shorter working hours and higher wages for all people to have disposable time”, resonated with the people’s earnest wishes and was met with great enthusiasm where the appeal was heard. The JCP’s “urgent proposal” to improve social security as the basic responsibility of the state, rather than fueling intergenerational tensions, showed its strength. The proposal was a response to moves to increase the cost burden and reduce benefits in the areas of public pension, health insurance, and long-term care insurance systems for the elderly.

In addition, it was the first election campaign in which the JCP appealed to the voters that it envisions a future society -socialist/communist society- in which human freedom can flourish in full, a vision based on the theoretical advances made during the 29th JCP Congress.

These appeals have attracted support along with fresh attention and expectations, especially among the younger generations and workers. This is a very important lesson for the campaign for next year’s Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and House of Councillors elections, as well as for our ongoing efforts to build a bigger party with a particular focus on generational succession.

We call on all party members to have confidence in the JCP’s pledges in the general election, its programmatic line, and the theory of scientific socialism, and to continue working for future advance.

(4)

In this general election, many branches, groups, and party members made great efforts to broaden support for the JCP. However, we must frankly inform you that the numbers of dialogues and expanded support were only about half of what it was in the last elections, and as a result, the party’s appeal did not fully penetrate the electorate by the day of the election. At the root of this is the decline in the party’s organizational strength. This is the biggest lesson to be learnt from the general election, and overcoming this weakness is now an urgent and vital task. We believe this is something that everyone in the party recognize.

To make up for this, the Central Committee proposed at its 3rd Plenum that we should fight together with the people in the election. In line with this, JCP organizations across the country engaged in the “I have a favor to ask” operation, made full use of social media, organized election volunteers, and employed other new and creative efforts. But these challenges have only just begun.

Now we are seeing a surge in subscriptions to Akahata from a wide range of people who, regardless of their political affiliation, want a departure from LDP politics and appreciate the paper’s role in pushing the LDP into a corner. Many people joined the party because they wanted to do more for the party.

To all members of the party, let us immediately start party-building efforts with special emphasis on generational succession, making the best use of the new conditions and assets created by the general election campaign. While working to build a strong and large party, let us seriously advance the tactic of “an election campaign in which the JCP works together with the people”, and let us surely achieve victory in the upcoming Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and House of Councillors elections.