Communist Japan

We often hear about Communist China but what about Communist Japan?

The far left plays a significant role in Japanese politics and mixes activism with charm.

Japan is a country of consensus. However it includes people with a wide spectrum of political views, from far right to far left.

The Communist Party of Japan retains a significant presence in parliament. Its leader, Keiji Kokuta, 72, sits on the influential Foreign Affairs and Defence committee.

The Communists staunchly opposed Prime Minister Abe’s plan to revise the constitution.

But as we hear in this week’s Japan Story blog, when he’s not campaigning for left wing causes, Mr Kokuta’s busy making friends with hairdressers and calligraphers in Kyoto.

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Japan Story’s blog is written by former BBC Tokyo Correspondent Duncan Bartlett. Each week he analyses how Japan’s story is being told to the world through the international media.