Appeal from the 16th Congress of the SWP
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The Sixteenth Congress of the SWP was held in Tokyo from November 17-18. We summed up our struggles of the past year including our opposition to the national flag/anthem, and reconfirmed our firm commitment to construct a workers party. The twelve members of the central committee entrusted to lead the everyday struggles were also elected at the Congress. Below is an appeal to the fighting workers in Japan and throughout the world.
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Ten years have past since the dramatic collapse of the Stalinist state-capitalist system which was mistakenly called socialism. In this period it has been said that the bourgeoisie throughout the world are victorious, socialism has been vanquished, and that capitalism has been definitively proven to be the best possible system for humanity which is "good" and just.
Moreover, market fundamentalism and neo-liberalism (i.e. an absolute theory of capitalism, or ethical theory of the innate goodness of capitalism) has become popular, and the peculiar theory that free competition can solve all problems has run rampant. At the same time, Keynesianism, the official ideology of the bourgeoisie since the Great Depression, is now treated like a "dead dog".
Market fundamentalism, however, is a fraud in two ways.
First of all, rather than eliminating the capitalist contradictions and difficulties, the implementation of free competition is actually the condition for the movement of these contradictions, and prepares the way to crisis. It is a silly fantasy to think that the realization of market fundamentalism will give birth to a "thousand year reign" of humanity.
Secondly, far from abandoning Keynesianism, i.e. policies to regulate and control capitalism and expand trusts and finance, the bourgeoisie throughout the world are actually strengthening it, and indeed must do so.
In these ten years there has been a great deal of talk about "global capitalism". This refers to the spread of the logic and rule of capital throughout the world. However, this actually signifies the global rule of big capital, particularly finance capital, of the advanced capitalist states led by the United States.
The reason for the current arrogance of finance capital is related to the fact that the currency of modern capitalism no longer has a relation to gold, and has in fact become paper money; as well as because of U.S. world supremacy and the unregulated spread of the dollar. Indeed, making use of the advantages of the dollar, the "overflow" of dollars has allowed credit and finance to expand on a world-wide scale.
Japan, of course, is no exception, the past ten years shows. It is no exaggeration to say that Japan stands at the forefront of the explosions of the contradictions of modern capitalism, and is the concentrated expression of these contradictions. Indeed, in the past ten years, of all the countries in the world, the Japanese capitalism suffering under a "financial crisis" (really a financial depression!) expresses in a concentrated form the contradictions and difficulties of modern capitalism.
Moreover, the economic and financial crisis which began in Asia in the latter half of the Nineties, and spread to other areas, represents the first stage in the global crisis.
If the "last stronghold" of U.S. capitalism were to "fail", this would mean the inevitable arrival of an enormous upheaval of world capitalism, which would in turn render the most "skillful" policies and desperate efforts of the bourgeoisie useless and powerless.
World-wide crisis and inflation and the bankruptcy and collapse of countries throughout the world is probably on the horizon, but the bourgeoisie is either unaware of, or blind to the ripening crisis. They are only able to apply superficial, stop-gap measures which temporarily delay the explosions and problems from the contradictions. However, this approach is unable to solve the contradictions, which only accumulate and worsens on a larger scale, to the point that are grave enough to lead to the demise of capitalism.
The Japanese bourgeoisie are also dull to the extremity of the crisis. As can be seen in the recent irresponsible and makeshift elderly health-care policy, which postpones the payment of health care insurance and then covers this sum with public revenue, the LDP-LP-Komeito tri-party Government has no idea of the essence of the crisis or how to face it, and can only implement policies in random manner.
Considering the enormous debt and state of imminent collapse of the state finances, it is clear that this policy can only collapse in the near future. Nevertheless, the LDP-LP-Komeito government can do nothing to prevent this. This only shows that the bourgeoisie is a dying class which reached the end of the road.
The corruption the ruling class progresses apace with the collapse of capitalism, and reveals that they are a dying class. The LDP-LP-Komeito government clarifies this truth.
We already have no illusions concerning the system of capital. Capitalism has already gone out of date, and fundamental contradictions are now appearing. The need for a revolutionary change of this system is clear. But even if the bourgeoisie recognize this, they say that socialism cannot replace capitalism.
But what other solution is there except for the shift to a communal society which overcomes this society of private property, general competition, individualism and selfishness?
Even though the reform of capitalism has been discussed for the past hundred or two hundred years and has been carried out, capitalism remains in this hideous state. Indeed, the current state of modern capitalism reveals the impotence and nonsense of the "structural reform" of capitalism.
Despite the bourgeoisie's slander and criticism of socialism, clearly there remains only one solution to the increasing upheavals of capitalistic contradictions: the construction of a communal society starting from the socialization of productive labor based on the highest productive power; in other words socialism.
The development of capitalism creates the objective conditions for the liberation of the working class. The history of postwar capitalism clearly shows, and this will become increasingly evident in the near future, that with the deepening of capitalistic contradictions, the workers inevitably resist and rebel against the rule of capital.
With the massive firings of workers accompanying the recent downsizing and "reorganization" in Japan, it is becoming increasingly evident that for workers to live capitalism must die.
The new LDP-LP-Komeito government is extremely rotten and corrupt, and exposes how reactionary and decayed the rule of capital has become. This coalition government has implemented completely irresponsible and makeshift policies to maintain its power, but this only makes the systematic contradictions more severe and insolvable, and we welcome this.
The legalization, (i.e forced implementation), of "Hinomaru" (national flag) and "Kimigayo" (national anthem) shows that in order to survive, the capitalist state has no choice but to promote increasingly strong state power, rely on nationalism and imperialism, oppress the workers, limit "democracy and freedom", and intensifying national conflicts and struggles.
The capitalist economy and politics are now completely rotten and in ruin, and have begun to stink. Capitalism must be crushed, and swept-away, otherwise humanity will again face a disaster and the workers will be forced to face more sacrifice and pain.
The Socialist Workers Party (Japan) has fought resolutely against the rule of capital and the oppression and exploitation of workers. This can be seen recently in our struggle against the imposition of "Hinomaru" (national flag) and Kimigayo (national anthem). Our tasks and struggles are the tasks and struggles of the workers throughout Japan and the world. We call on class-conscious workers throughout the country to fight together with, and rally to the Socialist Workers Party. The future lies in workers' socialism and internationalism.
(Translated by Roy West)
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From the article of 'Petrel' No.752 / December 5, 1999