〈In commemoration of the 106th anniversary of the founding of the Third International (Comintern).〉

We sincerely call upon all the world's sensible intellectuals, revolutionary communists, and revolutionary proletariat to seriously study the English version of “Recommendation for Learning” (Reiichiro Otake), a philosophical guide for the international communist movement and for the reconstruction of the International!

 

In March of last year, the decision was made to translate and publish “The Recommendation for Learning” (written by Reiichiro Otake) into English as a project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Reiichiro Otake’s birth, and this has now been completed.

This March 2-6 also marks the 106th anniversary of the founding of the Third International (Comintern). On the occasion of this anniversary, we strongly call upon all the world's sensible intellectuals, revolutionary communists, and revolutionary proletariat to seriously study this book.

(1) Orthodox Marxism in our time is the Otake idea, born in the Far Eastern country of Japan, which is the best Marxism-Leninism of our time.

(2) Marxism has its origins in philosophy. Orthodox Marxism is economics and socialist doctrine based on philosophy, i.e., materialism, dialectics, and historical materialism as its system of thought.

(3) “Recommendation for Learning” is a treasure house of orthodox Marxism, where all the philosophical principles, political ideas, and theoretical principles of Marxist thought are to be found.

The modern historical period strongly calls for the construction of a revolutionary vanguard party and the rebuilding of the International. Without them, the proletarian revolution will never succeed. Let us seriously study the “Recommendation for Learning” and fight for the internationalist unity of the working class and the reconstruction of the International!

By-laws on the Statement

In his letter on the Gotha Programme, Marx sharply condemns eclecticism in the formulation of principles. If you must unite, Marx wrote to the party leaders, then enter into agreements to satisfy the practical aims of the movement, but do not allow any bargaining over principles, do not make theoretical.  Lenin；What Is to Be Done? Burning Questions of our Movement (1900-2),

（March 2025）

 

 

On the occasion of publication of Recommendation for Learning ~ The origin of Marxism is in philosophy. Comprehend orthodox Marxism on the basis of philosophy! ~  by Reiichiro Otake (English version)

Central Committee of the Japanese Communist Party (Action Faction) International Department

 

We would like to extend our greetings of class solidarity to all revolutionary communists and revolutionary proletarians around the world, and present our party's literature, Recommendation for learning ~ The origin of Marxism is in philosophy. Comprehend orthodox Marxism on the basis of philosophy!  (English version) ~.

This "Recommendation for learning" is an ideological literature written and published by Reiichiro Otake (b. April 1924 - d. March 2019), former chairman of the Central Committee of the Japanese Communist Party (Action Faction), with the aim of revolutionary reconstruction of the international communist movement. At the same time, it is a thorough exposé of the bourgeois ideology and revisionism under the name of "criticism of Stalin" by Khrushchev from the perspective of orthodox Marxist philosophy, and a comprehensive discussion of the ideological systems of materialism, dialectics, and historical materialism, which are the core of Marxist philosophy.

The author, Reiichiro Otake, was born in April 1924 in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan and died in March 2019 at the age of 95. 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of his birth. At its Central Committee meeting in March 2024, the Japanese Communist Party (Action Faction) decided to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth by publishing and distributing the English version of this book, "Recommendation for learning," to revolutionary communists and organizations around the world.

The world is currently in the midst of confusion, chaos, and upheaval due to the outbreak of the "Ukrainian War" and the subsequent "Israeli-Palestinian (Hamas) War". Under such circumstances, the existence of a small community formed on a small hill halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel, by advanced Jewish and Palestinian ethnic groups, was widely reported as "50 years of living together, a village of hope" (Yomiuri Shimbun, February 23, 2024), which has attracted the attention of many people in Japan and abroad.

Today, we are on the eve of a community society, and human society is facing a major historic turning point. Before his death, Reiichiro Otake consistently said that the goal of history is community society, in which the laws of historical science lie, and in which the future of humanity lies; therefore he had spoken of and called for the unity and unification of the revolutionary proletariat of the whole world, the revolutionary unification of the international communist movement, and the revolutionary reconstruction of the International. This book, " Recommendation for learning " left by Reiichiro Otake, is new philosophical guidelines for the revolutionary unification of the international communist movement and the revolutionary reconstruction of the International, as well as its revolutionary platform.

The Japanese Communist Party (Action Faction) with current Chairman Hisashi Mori at its forefront, has made it its mission to inherit Reii chiro Otake's revolutionary will of reconstruction of the International and fight to see it through to its realization.

  Our Action Faction Party, in general (internationally) are defenders of Marxist principles, the standard-bearers of the Marxist revival movement, and promoters of Leninist (Bolshevik) party building.

And also, in a special sense (domestically), our Action Faction Party is the inheritors of the revolutionary tradition of Kyuichi Tokuda and the Japanese Communist Party, and the party of the Otake idea, which broke with Miyamoto's revisionism and rebuilt an orthodox Marxist party, the Japanese Communist Party (Action Faction).

Internationally, from the moment Khrushchev emerged and developed "criticism of Stalin," we consistently declared that this violated the philosophical principles of Marxism and that Khrushchev was a revisionist traitor, of the sort that Lenin had warned of early on. We have consistently fought against this ever since.

Domestically, since the moment Miyamoto’s revisionism emerged in the  Japanese Communist Party and denied the party's founder, Tokuda Kyuichi, we have determined that revisionism in Japan exists here and since then, we have consistently fought against it. We have also defended the unyielding revolutionary spirit and revolutionary tradition of the Japanese Communist Party, which was founded by Tokuda Kyuichi. He had consistently stuck to his communist ideology under18-year brutal imprisonment. 

  When the Cultural Revolution in China stimulated the Japanese communist movement and the "Cultural Revolution Leftists" emerged in Japan, a team from the Chinese Communist Party made certain demands of us (to build a leftist coalition). However, we rejected this on the basis of the theoretical principles of Marxism. Subsequent history has proven that we were right.

And today, when the war in Iraq broke out, we predicted that this imperialist war would lead to the collapse of US imperialism. We were the only one who claimed this, but modern history has proven us right.

We have always and consistently defended and continued to sublate orthodox Marxism, namely its philosophical principles, political ideas, and theoretical principles. The history of Marxism and the history of modern time prove our correctness. In these struggles and movements, all of the party members have always unified, united, and banded together around Reiichiro Otake. Herein lies our pride, conviction, and faith. And the history like this has determined, as scientific proof, that "Our party is the party of orthodox Marxism and the party of the Otake idea.”

Today's historical period is in a period of enormous explosion and convergence of the collapse of U.S. imperialism and the end of capitalism and the transformation of world history. It inevitably calls for the restoration of Marxism and the revival of socialism. Today, we are already seeing these signs inside and outside. This movement will surely converge, through a number of coincidences, toward the "Recommendation for learning " published by Reiichiro Otake and its contents, the philosophical principles, political ideas, and theoretical principles of Marxism. The content of this "Recommendation for learning " is the entire system of orthodox Marxism on philosophy, economics, and socialist theory. We must firmly master and practice philosophical principles, political ideas, and theoretical principles of orthodox Marxism set forth in "Recommendation for learning."

This is the path that Reiichiro Otake, who wrote and compiled the " Recommendation for learning," and the Action Party have taken, the history of our struggle, and our revolutionary ideology.

Today, history is undergoing a fundamental turning point. The history of mankind has no choice but to proceed according to the laws of Marxism, the philosophical-scientific truth, and the history of the 21st century clearly proves this. At the beginning of the 21st century, U.S. imperialism collapsed its system of unipolar domination through its defeat in the war in Iraq, and as a result, the world is now in an era of weightlessness and drifting, with mass anger, nationalism, and indiscriminate terrorism exploding everywhere. At the root of all this are the oppression and hardships of life, unemployment and poverty, widening social disparities, and uncertainty about the future, which are the inevitable products of the capitalist system, as well as the frightening increase in the number of war refugees and climate refugees. However, as the defeat of Hitler’s Nazism and Japanese militarism have already shown, nationalism has no future and its defeat is inevitable.

In order to continue to exist forever, human society has reached an age in which it must change from primitive communal society to slavery, from feudalism to capitalism, and then to the next age of community and socialism. This historical reality calls for all contemporary Marxists to return to the principles of Marxist philosophy, namely, materialism, dialectics, and historical materialism, and to "start over from the beginning" once again.

In fact, there is now a "re-evaluation of Marx" beginning to take place all over the world. This is a wonderful thing. However, when we look at journals and literatures of contemporary international organizations and parties of communism around the world, "liquidationism" and "eclecticism" (eclecticism with good and bad sides) still dominate with regard to the "assessment of Stalin," the biggest problem of the contemporary Marxist movement, and the philosophical principle of "sublation" (inheritance, overcoming, and development) has been completely forgotten. This is why we have published this English version and call on the whole world to study and master the entire system of orthodox Marxist philosophy, economics, and socialist theory. It is because the reconstruction and revival of the international communist movement will never succeed without ideological and political unity based on the philosophical principles of orthodox Marxism (materialism, dialectics, and historical materialism).

This vast universe including the earth on which we live is still infinitely expanding, and human society continues to advance and develop from the eternal past toward the eternal future. In the same way, the future of socialism is eternally immortal, and Marxism as a social science that foresees the development of human society, is an immortal theory and ideology. It would be a childish idea and out of the question to argue about the fate of Marxism based on a mere bitter experience of 70 years or so.

Let those who are disappointed in Marxism and Communism be disappointed. Let those who mock Marxism and Communism mock. Nevertheless, "the earth turns" (communism moves forward).Once again, we call on from the bottom of our hearts to all orthodox Marxists, true Marx-Leninists around the world.

Let's return to the roots of the Marxism, philosophy and grasp orthodox Marxism on the basis of philosophy! Let's grasp materialism, dialectics, and historical materialism as a system of thought, and recognize Marxism in depth! And let's fight for the revolutionary reconstruction of the international communist movement and the International!

Long live the great Marxism!

Long live the great Leninism!

Long live the great communism and socialism!

Long live the great proletarian internationalism!

Long live the unity of all revolutionary communists!

We must unite!　　　　　                           　(May 1, 2025)