Word: communist
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...idea of communists soldiering on in the world's second-largest economy more than 15 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union may invite comparisons to Japanese soldiers stranded on remote Pacific islands who thought that World War II had never ended. But the JCP is far from extinct. It claims some 400,000 members, and garnered 7.3% of the vote-from 4.92 million voters-in the most recent legislative elections in 2005. "The JCP is probably the most successful non-ruling communist party in Asia, if not the world," says Lam Peng Er, a research fellow...
...That success has it roots in the JCP's long history. Born in 1922 as the Japanese branch of the Communist International, the global federation of Marxist-Leninist parties created by Moscow, the JCP quickly adapted itself to local conditions. It was one of the few Japanese groups to stand up to the rise of imperial militarists in the run-up to World War II, and suffered as a result. "The JCP was the only political party that struggled against the past war of aggression with the sacrifice of members' lives," says JCP chairman Kazuo Shii. That principled stance earned...
...Today the JCP is still relevant at a time when communists in other countries have all but vanished. While the largest Japanese parties lack a clear and cohesive identity, the JCP may benefit by virtue of actually standing for something-even if what it stands for is "a socialist/communist society," as stated in its manifesto, in a decidedly capitalist country. "The JCP is a boutique party, but it's the only political party in Japan that has a strong grassroots organization," says Lam. "In a way, the communists are probably the most modern political party in Japan." Despite holding just...
...company goes to China to play watchdog, but that role is getting more important--and much more difficult--as the U.S. depends increasingly on China for what it eats. Manufacturing powered China's economic revolution, and the Chinese government is pushing hard for farming to follow suit. The Communist Party wants to keep the countryside from falling too far behind the booming coastal cities. One answer is the farm sector, which generated $31 billion worth of exports last year, up from $13 billion...
...better question might be why a Japanese party would draft a former Latin American strongman as a candidate in the first place. But beyond sheer publicity for a party that needs it - the PNP holds just nine seats in the Diet, fewer than the Japanese Communist Party - Fujimori is held in high regard by some Japanese, despite his alleged crimes. In 1997, while President of Peru, he spearheaded the dramatic rescue of 71 hostages from Tokyo's embassy in Peru, earning the respect of Japanese who viewed their own leaders' performance in the crisis as ineffectual. "If Fujimori...