JAPANESE COMMUNISTS EXPLAIN SILENCE ON CHINA
The Japan Communist party, which was in Peking' Ss camp in the Sino-Soviet dispute, has manifested increasing signs of cooling off. One tendency apparently is right wing. It holds that Peking followed a provocative policy in Indonesia and that this led to the disaster there! Others may hold the opposite opinion - which is nearer the truth -- that Peking | followed a grossly opportunistic policy in Indonesia. =.
One of the consequences has ‘been a virtual boycott on news from China in the party's daily newspaper Akahata. On July 11 Editor Masayoshi» Oka explained why the CP organ is not taking up the "incidents affééting foreign Communist and workers' parties-which are prominently dealt with in the commercial newspapers. "
Akahata is a "weapon for correctly promoting the pevolutionary in Japan. n Therefore, "it must be specially prudent ‘in handling issues concerning: the-Communist anid : workers ' “parties of other countries." With this in mind,’ "There aré occasions when it is not proper to give a full report on an incident or an issue...There are also occasions when giving an asséssmént of such an issue would be ili- -timed."
Oka explained further, "It is often not proper for Akahata to comment on policies of such parties, even though it may no approve of them."
The imperialists seek to take advantage of the "contradictions, controversies, confusion and discord between’ the Socialist and: Marxist-Leninist: regimes." Hence ‘they make slanderous: comments. "Simply because the bourgeois press takes them up, however,:it does not mean that Akahata, too, must offer unprincipled comments and criticism. If it did so, it would merely please the imperialist and reactionary forces and would not Serve the interests of the international Communist movement at all.
Akahata has even discontinued carrying the radio programs beamed by China. The reason for that is that there are no "reasons why it must carry foreign radio programs."
Unfortunately for the editor of Akahata, Silence, too, can speak volumes.