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Compiled by Tan Xiaojun, Li Ming, and Liao Bin: A Compilation of the Programs and Constitutions of the Japanese Communist Party over the Past Century

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Compiled and translated by Tan Xiaojun, Li Ming, and Liao Bin: A Compendium of the Centenary Programs and Constitutions of the Japanese Communist Party, China Social Sciences Press, September 2025 edition.

This work is one of the final results of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Project for the Study and Construction of Marxist Theory (MGCJB2020001): "The Japanese Communist Party’s Theoretical Research and Practical Exploration of Scientific Socialism Over the Past Century."

Content Introduction

The compilation and publication of essential documentary materials from foreign Communist Parties constitutes fundamental work for the study of the international communist movement and the world socialist movement; among these, party programs and constitutions are of paramount importance. A program is the banner a political party raises publicly, while its constitution serves as its fundamental law [1]. The Japanese Communist Party (JCP) is a party with a century of history and is currently the largest Communist Party organization in a developed capitalist country, boasting over 250,000 members, 15 seats in the Diet, and 2,229 local government seats (as of October 2025). Among Communist Parties in developed nations, the JCP’s theoretical innovation and research work are unique, with many innovative fruits reflected in its programs and constitutions, holding significant research value. This Compendium of the Centenary Programs and Constitutions of the Japanese Communist Party marks the first time that all JCP programs and their amendments, as well as its core constitutions over the past century, have been translated in full and compiled. It serves as an essential reference tool for the study of the JCP and the Japanese socialist movement.

The primary innovations and academic value of this compendium are as follows: First, it systematically organizes and compiles the JCP’s significant programs and constitutions from across its century of existence into a single volume. This changes the previous situation where these documents were scattered across various collections, creating an independent and specialized reference work for JCP research. Second, several entries in this compendium are being published in Chinese for the first time—such as the 1931 Draft Program, the 1985 Program Amendment, the full text of the 1994 Revised Program, the 2020 Revised Program, and the 1945 Constitution—assisting the domestic academic community in further deepening research into JCP theory and history. Third, based on the original Japanese texts, this compendium has verified and re-translated documents previously published by earlier translators, correcting specific errors and unifying the terminology and prose style so that readers can more clearly discern the continuities and changes across different versions of the texts. Finally, regarding translation style, for terms with Japanese Communist Party or Japanese characteristics (such as "Chief of the Secretariat" [2], "Party Congress" [3], and "Cell" [4]), this compendium opts for literal translation where it does not hinder understanding. This approach preserves the authentic flavor and the spirit of the times inherent to various national communist movements. It is believed that the publication of this compendium will provide significant assistance to domestic scholars researching related fields.

Author Profiles

Tan Xiaojun (female), a native of Shenyang, Liaoning Province, is a member of the CPC and holds a PhD in Management from the Graduate School of Social Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University. She is currently a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Marxism Studies, CASS. Her primary research interests include Japanese Marxism and the Japanese Communist Party. She is the author of A History of the Japanese Marxist School of Economics (2012) and has published dozens of articles and translations in major journals such as Marxist Studies, Marxism & Reality, and Contemporary World and Socialism.

Li Ming, a native of Handan, Hebei Province, is a member of the CPC and graduated from the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Graduate School) with a PhD in Law, specializing in Scientific Socialism and the International Communist Movement. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the School of Marxism, Shenzhen University, and a part-time researcher at the World Political Parties Research Center, a Guangdong Provincial Social Science Research Base. His primary research interest is the Japanese Communist Party and the Japanese socialist movement. He has published several papers in major journals such as Internal Manuscripts of Chinese Social Sciences and Socialist Studies.

Liao Bin (female), a native of Sangzhi, Hunan Province, is a member of the CPC and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, specializing in Scientific Socialism and the International Communist Movement. Her primary research interests include Scientific Socialism, the International Communist Movement, Party building, the Japanese Communist Party, and the Japanese socialist movement. She has published several papers in major journals such as Marxism & Reality and World Socialist Studies.

Table of Contents

  1. Draft Program of the Japanese Communist Party (1922 Draft Program)
  2. Resolution on the Japanese Question (1927 Program)
  3. Draft Political Program of the Japanese Communist Party (1931)
  4. Program Concerning the Situation in Japan and the Tasks of the Japanese Communist Party (1932 Program)
  5. Program—Current Demands of the Japanese Communist Party (1951 Program)
  6. Program of the Japanese Communist Party (1951 Program)
  7. Report on the Partial Amendment of the JCP Program (1973)
  8. Partial Amendment of the JCP Program and Constitution (1976)
  9. Report on the Partial Amendment of the JCP Program (1985)
  10. Program of the Japanese Communist Party (1994 Revision)
  11. Program of the Japanese Communist Party (2004)
  12. Program of the Japanese Communist Party (2020 Partial Amendment)
  13. Constitution of the Japanese Communist Party (1945)
  14. Constitution of the Japanese Communist Party (1958)
  15. Constitution of the Japanese Communist Party (2000)