{"id":184394,"date":"2021-09-21T12:13:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T03:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bund.jp\/?p=184394"},"modified":"2024-12-29T01:29:39","modified_gmt":"2024-12-28T16:29:39","slug":"senki-faction-photo-collection-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bund.jp\/en\/184394\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Senki-ha? Introducing the Battle Flag Faction Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Senki-ha<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Table of Contents for the Senki-ha Photo Collection<\/a><\/strong>
Nostalgic Archive Top Page<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Senki-ha
“Senki Faction Photo Collection<\/strong>” which blazed through the 1970s-80s of the 20th Century To our former comrades, and beyond…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now, here lies a bundle of photos. Holding them in your hand evokes a sense of “nostalgia.” “Where did that photo go?” “Now that you mention it, that one’s missing too.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…Indeed, when you think about it, these are remnants of a kind. Perhaps the missing photos have already passed into the hands of someone (the rightful parties?). If so, is it better to let them decay as they are? Yet, a pang of reluctance, mixed with bitter feelings, has led to the decision to share them on the web.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extending the life of these remnants just a little longer\u2014true enough. However, the idea of preserving a fragment of the history of the Senki-ha on the web is also quite appealing. Hopefully, the photos that are on the path to becoming privately held treasures will join the “Senki-ha Collection”!
[August 25, 2010]\n\n\n\n

Cited from the old Senki-ha Collection<\/a> homepage<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

About the “Senki-ha Collection”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The “Senki-ha Collection<\/a>” was a website launched in August 2010 as part of an effort to preserve photos from the various struggles of the New Left faction “Senki-ha,” which was active during the 1970s and 80s. By the spring of 2021, the site became inaccessible (perhaps removed?) and is no longer available for viewing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Former<\/a>
Former “Senki-ha Collection” Homepage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Soka, the administrator of this site, “Bund,” was personally acquainted with the administrators of the “Senki-ha Collection” and had verbally received permission to reproduce their photos. Especially after confirming the site\u2019s disappearance, I felt compelled to preserve and extend its content as a “Bund version.”<\/strong> That is the context behind its publication on this site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The commentary in this article and other explanations are significantly expanded and restructured from multiple pages of the former “Senki-ha Collection” to make them relatively easier to understand for readers unfamiliar with the Leftist experience. The responsibility for these changes lies with me, Soka. (Contact me here<\/a> for comments or information.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The administrators of the “Senki-ha Collection” and “Bund” were once members of Senki-ha but have since left the faction. We have no connection with its successor organizations or activities. Descriptions on this site reflect personal experiences<\/strong> and are not necessarily aligned with the views of the former Senki-ha. \nFurthermore, the accuracy of the content is not guaranteed; those wishing to verify historical facts are encouraged to treat this as one among many personal testimonies. Feel free to reproduce or quote<\/strong> the content, but please acknowledge that any consequences arising from such actions are the responsibility of the party using it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Immediate Operational Policy<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"From
From Senki-ha’s Prison Letters Collection: “Winter of Hope”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The background of this site\u2019s creation has been explained above. Some may wonder, “What about critical reflection?” However, for now, I will limit the discussion to our immediate operational policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The former administrators of the “Senki-ha Collection” held a set of photos capturing moments from the 20-year history of Senki-ha<\/strong> (later, an additional collection of film reels was added). Some were organized chronologically, while others remained in bulk. Many of the organized photos overlapped with the contents of the photo book “The Northwestern Wind Strengthens the Party”<\/strong> (published in 1984 by Senki Publishing, parts 1 and 2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The “Senki-ha Collection” primarily featured these organized photos, displayed chronologically by year from 1971 to 1990. This site will initially reproduce and preserve the contents of the “Senki-ha Collection” up to 1990 (or as appropriate), after which additional photos from private collections, online sources, and printed materials scattered across various places will be included. (For online sources, see “Acknowledged Sites<\/a>” below.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the site plans to feature bonus content from the former “Senki-ha Collection,” such as prison newspapers, photos from mountain expeditions, and others. Unfortunately, only fragments of the mountain expedition photos have been preserved on this site (“Bund”).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mountain expeditions, in particular, represent a significant part of the memories of former Senki-ha members\u2014perhaps half of them (?). If any former administrators of the “Senki-ha Collection” or anyone in possession of mountain photos, private collections, or back issues of “Senki” or “T\u014dr\u014d” wishes to make them publicly available in a similar format to this site, we will respect your privacy<\/strong>. Please feel free to contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the “Senki-ha”? \u2500 About the Communist League (Senki-ha) and the Battle Flag Communist League<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/a>
The First Bund (1960 Anpo Struggle: Socialist Student League Approaching the National Diet)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Notes on the “Senki-ha”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The term “Senki-ha” as used here refers to a New Left organization that operated under the names Communist League (Senki-ha)<\/strong> and Battle Flag Communist League<\/strong> from the 1970s to the 1990s<\/strong>. It was also referred to derogatorily as the Hy\u016bga Faction<\/strong> or Ara Faction<\/strong>. Most of those involved are now in their 40s to mid-70s, living quietly with varied memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, there have been other groups called “Senki-ha,” such as the faction associated with proletarian literature in the 1920s, known for Takiji Kobayashi\u2019s “The Crab Cannery Ship”<\/a>, and the faction that emerged during the split of the First Bund<\/a> in the 1960 Anpo Struggle. However, these are unrelated to the “Senki-ha” discussed here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The origins of Senki-ha trace back to the Communist League (Second Bund)<\/strong>, rebuilt in 1966<\/strong>, and the National Committee of the Socialist Student League. It was formed during the split of the Bund around the time of the 1970 Anpo and Okinawa struggles and took the name Communist League (Senki-ha)<\/strong> as one of its factions. It was also referred to by others as the “Theoretical Front Faction,” named after the journal of the National Committee of the Socialist Student League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As described above, this photo collection is a narrative of events from the perspective (subjective<\/strong>) of the Senki (Hy\u016bga) Faction. We believe there is no reason for criticism in this regard. This is not an attempt at comprehensive academic research. If anyone from other factions finds our descriptions unsatisfactory, we encourage them to create their own “XX Faction Collection” from their perspective. It would be beneficial for third parties to compare and explore multiple perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The “Senki-ha” Naming Issue<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"Senki-ha\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As mentioned above, the name “Senki-ha” is inherently ambiguous, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact group it refers to. This confusion stems partly from the fact that “Senki” was the official central organ paper<\/strong> of the Bund since its establishment in 1958. As a result, the term “Senki-ha” became a provisional label for factions controlling the publication rights of this central paper, often referred to as the “Central Leadership Faction<\/strong>” or “Secretariat Faction<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, during the splits in the Second Bund around 1970, the faction that remained within the party after the “Red Army Faction” broke away was called “Senki-ha.” Similarly, during the splits involving the Han-ki (Rebellion) and J\u014dky\u014d (Situation) factions, the remaining core Bund was also referred to as “Senki-ha.” The 1973 split of Senki-ha<\/a> further complicated matters, as multiple factions with the same name coexisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To distinguish between the two factions using the same name, the group referred to here as Senki-ha was nicknamed the “Hy\u016bga Faction”<\/strong> after its leader’s pen name. The other faction, known as the “Nishida Faction”<\/strong> (currently the Communist League [Unified Committee]<\/a>), was one of several groups that emerged. Other factions included the “Proletarian Senki Faction” and the “Internationalist Faction.” In 1980, to avoid confusion, the group changed its name to Battle Flag Communist League<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this period, the faction engaged in significant struggles, including the Sayama Discrimination Trial Protests, the rebuilding of the Sanrizuka Struggle Group, and the March 26, 1978, Airport Control Tower Occupation<\/a>, in collaboration with the Fourth International and other “Red Helmet Factions.” After adopting the name “Battle Flag Communist League” in the 1980s, the group also carried out guerrilla and partisan combat activities, such as the anti-monarchy struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incidentally, during the Sanrizuka Struggle, local farmers distinguished the factions by the locations of their solidarity huts. The faction discussed here (Battle Flag Communist League) was called the “Yokobori Senki”<\/strong>, while the Nishida Senki faction was called the “Iwayama Senki.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1990s, Senki-ha abandoned its factional name and became known as the “Communist League<\/strong>.” It then shifted to being the “Bund<\/strong>” without a goal of communist revolution, and eventually transformed into “Actio, a General Incorporated Association for Eco & Peace<\/strong>.” Thus, Senki-ha as a New Left organization dissolved and ceased to exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that said, we will set aside the naming issue here. In the following sections, we will focus on key milestones between 1970 and 1990, annotating aspects of Senki-ha\u2019s history that cannot be captured through photographs (names are without honorifics, primarily pen names, and faction names include a mix of self-designations and colloquial terms).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1970: The Split of the Second Bund and the Formation of the “Senki-ha”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Second Bund (1968 International Antiwar Day: Storming the Defense Agency)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

a. 1969: The Second Bund After the Red Army Split on July 6<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Second Bund lacked a strong central faction<\/strong> from the start. In 1969, when Ken Ichik\u014d (Takaya Shiomi) and his group, who strongly advocated armed uprising, forcibly split off as the “Red Army Faction”<\/strong>, the party fell into chaos. Independent actions by intra-party groups, the autonomy of local organizations, and complex alliances became more pronounced.
Even the Japanese Communist Party, as well as surviving factions like the Revolutionary Communist League-Chukaku-ha, Kakumaru-ha, and Shaseido Liberation Faction after the 1970 Anpo Struggles, maintained relatively strong central leadership. In contrast, factions without such leadership, like ML Factions or Structural Reformist Groups, often faced division and dissolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at the student movement, in the Tokyo metropolitan area, the leadership of Gakutai (Student Committee) and the Socialist Student League (Shagakudo) was imprisoned during events such as the January 1969 Yasuda Auditorium battle at Tokyo University and the Anpo-Okinawa Struggles post-April 28. With leadership absent, about half of the remaining students joined the Red Army Faction, plunging student and high school organizations into complete disarray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amid this chaos, the Han-ki Faction<\/strong> from Chuo University Bund unexpectedly found itself in a dominant position in the Tokyo metropolitan area, largely unshaken by the turmoil. The J\u014dky\u014d Faction<\/strong> from Meiji University\u2019s Independent Socialist Student League also revived as most leftist students from Meiji University had departed, enabling its resurgence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Kansai region, students who did not join the Red Army Faction, particularly those who had moved to Tokyo, began to drift toward becoming “Red Helmet Non-Sects” or returned to the Kansai Bund<\/strong>, a regional independent force from before the formation of the Second Bund centered on labor organizations like Osaka Chuden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the efforts of Secretary General Sasaki and other remaining Gakutai members in Tokyo, the Autumn 1969 Anpo Struggle ended in disappointment. With key figures like Toshio Fujimoto<\/a> (Chairman of the Anti-Imperialist Zengakuren) leaving the movement upon release from prison, the Bund entered 1970 in dire straits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

b. The Second Bund in Early 1970<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Aside from the central organ paper “Senki”<\/strong>, numerous local, prefectural, and district committee publications were independently (and sometimes arbitrarily) issued. These publications became focal points for the organization of various intra-party factions. Although it may be a bit tedious, here is a rough summary, including their fate after the dissolution of the Bund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0“Senki” and “Communism”<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Published by: The Communist League (inheriting the name of the First Bund’s organ paper). Around 1969-70, the editors and publishers of “Senki”<\/strong> were Kazuo Sasaki and Susumu Noda. The central Secretariat and Editorial Bureau coordinated the various factions. The office (Senki-sha) located in the Takizawa Building\u2019s basement (2-7-6 Misakicho, Chiyoda-ku, near Suidobashi Station on the Sobu Line) became a target for disputes among factions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0 “Theoretical Front”<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Published by: Theoretical journal of the Socialist Student League, later the Communist Youth League. Written by key figures who would later form the Senki-ha, including Susumu Noda (editor-in-chief of “Senki”), Kakeru Hy\u016bga (chairman of the Socialist Student League), Hiroshi Ise (Student Committee), Tetsu Shiroyama, Yasushi Muranaka, Fumito Akai, and Teru Nishida. The term “Theoretical Front Faction” was derived from the name of this journal.
\u2192 From 1980, it became the theoretical journal of the Battle Flag Communist League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0 “Han-ki” (“Rebellion Flag”)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Published by: Tokyo Mitama District Committee (first issued in November 1968). Figures such as Osamu Mikami<\/a> and Akira K\u014dzu (Chuo University Bund). \u2192 The Han-ki Faction was established in June 1970. The faction had a strong base among students, including at Aoyama Gakuin University and other institutions in the Tokyo metropolitan area. On June 11, during a Communist League political rally at Toshima Public Hall in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, the Han-ki and J\u014dky\u014d coalition attacked the Senki-ha coalition, cementing the split. \u2192 In 1975, Osamu Mikami withdrew, and the faction disbanded by the end of 1976.
A “Former Han-ki Mutual Aid Society,” believed to have been established to support defendants of the September 16 Higashi-Funo Crossroads Struggle, continues to exist under Akira K\u014dzu\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0 “Iron Front”<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Published by: Tokyo Southern District Committee. Key figures included Tokujir\u014d Saragi, chairman of the Eighth Communist League Congress. This faction, including Southern District members, Senshu University Socialist Student League, and medical students, became the “Uprising War Faction” on December 18, 1970, later known as the “Iron Front Faction.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 Split into the Uprising Faction (nicknamed the “Saragi Faction,” publishing “Uprising”<\/strong>) and the Uprising Left (led by Akio Sato, later the editorial committee of “Proletarian Communication”<\/strong> of the Communist League). In 1998, Tokujir\u014d Saragi withdrew, and the publication was renamed “Red Star”<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 In March 2009, Makito and Takashi Akai (Communist League Uprising Faction) formed the “Communist Association” (publishing “Red Proletarian”<\/strong>, abbreviated as “Red Pro”) with figures like Bunji Hatakenaka (J\u014dky\u014d Faction) and Bontaro Asahi (Kanagawa Left Faction). “Red Star” merged into “Red Pro” and ceased publication. \u2192 In January 2016, it was reissued under the title “The Red Stars”<\/strong>. The association has since disbanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note 1) The Uprising War Faction<\/strong> refers to a self-designated coalition<\/strong> active during the April 28, 1971 Okinawa Day.
\nThis coalition included the 12.18 United Bund (composed of the Kanagawa Left Faction, Kansai Regional Committee Faction, and the Saragi Faction), the Communist League Red Army Faction, Keihin Anpo Joint Struggle, Red Helmet Non-Sects from Doshisha University’s All-Campus Struggle and Kyoto University’s C Front, among others.
\nIt was not necessarily the name of a distinct faction<\/strong>. [The Saragi Faction reportedly did not participate in the meeting but only joined the demonstration.] At Hibiya Park\u2019s Nishi-Saik\u014d Gate, they clashed with the Senki-ha (\u2192 see 1971<\/a>), but organizationally, the clash involved only the 12.18 United Bund.
\nWithin the Senki-ha at the time, this coalition was disparagingly referred to as the “Opportunistic Right Wing.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0 “Left Faction”<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Published by: Kanagawa Prefectural Committee (first issued in January 1970). Led by Bontar\u014d Asahi (member of the Kansai Delegation to Tokyo and a member of the Political Bureau of the 7th Congress). \u2192 On December 18, 1970, it became part of the “Uprising War Faction” and later the (Kanagawa) “Left Faction.”
\u2192 Subsequently evolved into the Communist League Proletarian Communication Editorial Committee (also known as the “Toshima Group,” reportedly a merger of the Uprising Left and a minority from the Red Report Faction). \u2192 In 2009, it joined the aforementioned “Communist Association.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0 “Beacon Fire” (“Noroshi”)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Published by: Kansai Regional Committee (reissued in August 1970) \u2192 In December 1970, became the “Uprising War Faction” and later the “Beacon Fire Faction.” Split into the Communist League National Committee (Beacon Fire Faction) and the “Red Report Faction” led by Hitoshi Ebara<\/a>, known as the Communist League (RG).
\u2192 In 2004, the National Committee faction merged with the Senki Nishida Faction to form the Communist League (Unified Committee)<\/a>, with “Senki” as its publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note 2) RG<\/strong> is an abbreviation of the German term Rote Gewalt<\/em> (pronunciation: “Rote Gewalt,” literally “Red Power” or “Red Violence,” loosely translated as “Communist Assault Corps”). It is pronounced “Erug\u0113” in Japanese. Originally conceived by Ken Ichik\u014d (Takaya Shiomi, member of the Kansai Delegation to Tokyo and Political Bureau member of the 7th Congress, later the leader of the Red Army Faction). During the April 28, 1969 Okinawa Struggle, it was used as the name for the Socialist Student League and other squads that seized the MD (Tokyo Medical and Dental University) the night before, broke through police barricades, and marched from Akihabara Station toward the central district of Tokyo. Subsequently, Ken Ichik\u014d and others moved toward the establishment of a more militarized “Red Army.” Meanwhile, following the split of the Red Army Faction, RG was organized within various Bund factions (excluding the Han-ki and J\u014dky\u014d factions) as a small elite force in preparation for the 1969 Autumn Anpo and Okinawa Struggles. Later, Hitoshi Ebara and others adopted the name RG for their faction during their split from the Kansai-based Beacon Fire Faction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0 “J\u014dky\u014d” (“Situation”)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The J\u014dky\u014d Faction (Meiji University Independent Socialist Student League \u2192 Chairman of the 6th Congress, Reiji Matsumoto; Student Committee, Susumu Koga) split from the Bund in June 1970 and began publishing the journal “Rote”<\/strong> (published by the Preparatory Committee for the Reconstruction of the Communist League).
\u2192 Later, Reiji Matsumoto published “From Afar.”<\/em> Susumu Koga co-founded the second series of “J\u014dky\u014d”<\/em> with Wataru Hiromatsu in 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The J\u014dky\u014d Faction evolved through several iterations, including the Guerrilla Faction, the Flag of Revolution Faction, and the Red Flag Faction. In 2009, a faction of its lineage, the Metropolitan Area Committee, formed the above-mentioned “Communist Association.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

c. The Formation of the “Senki-ha”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the above, many “organ papers” were produced on B4-sized straw paper<\/a>, printed with mimeograph machines<\/a> and stapled together. Among these, the one that became the focal point for the eventual formation of the Senki-ha was:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0“Red Texas”<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Published by: Tokyo Western District Anti-Imperialist Front. This was issued by the “Y\u014duntei Fraction”<\/strong>, which united parts of the student and high school organizations in the Tokyo metropolitan area and groups involved in the Tokyo University Struggle who had been released on bail after the Autumn 1969 “Anpo-Okinawa Struggles.” Major articles from this publication were later compiled in “Theoretical Front.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This initiative also connected with regional organizations in Kyushu, Hokkaido, and Aichi, which maintained their distance from central and Kansai-based groups as described in the previous section. Additionally, some non-affiliated and non-sectarian students seeking a new direction after the All-Campus Joint Struggle joined in. Susumu Noda, editor and publisher of the central organ paper “Senki,”<\/strong> also participated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, a trend emerged demanding a transformation from the somewhat free but irresponsible “coalition party of various factions” into a “single centralized party” accountable to its local and grassroots bases. This trend quickly gained momentum and expanded its influence on the party’s central leadership, using the newly established party organ, the “Aoyama Organizational Committee.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, as described earlier, after the Han-ki and J\u014dky\u014d factions split in June 1970, the remaining Bund core (referred to by others as the “Senki-ha”) experienced another division. On 12.18, the three factions aligned with the Uprising War Faction (Kansai Regional Committee Faction, Iron Front Faction, and the Kanagawa “Left” Faction) forcibly held an independent “Communist League Political Rally” under the banner of the “12.18 United Bund.”<\/strong> They jointly published their own version of “Senki,”<\/strong> declared a break from the central Senki Faction, and finalized their split.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 28, 1971, at Hibiya Park, the central Senki Faction sought to make a mass appearance at an Okinawa rally and engaged in a battle with the anti-Senki coalition<\/a>, achieving a decisive victory. In the aftermath of this defeat, the December 18 United Bund fell into disarray and disbanded due to internal conflicts. Their version of “Senki”<\/strong> ceased publication (a total of 14 issues, numbers 250 to 264, which had coexisted alongside the central faction’s “Senki”). Each faction within the coalition fragmented, effectively dissolving the United Bund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Senki-ha<\/a>
At Hibiya Park on April 28, 1971, preparing for the final battle against the Anti-Senki Coalition<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Senki-ha declared a shift toward “the sublation of factional struggles and a focus on anti-power struggles.”<\/strong> Acknowledging that they themselves were one faction of the Bund, they adopted the name “Communist League (Senki-ha)”<\/strong> (see 1971<\/a>). Although, as described in the previous section<\/a>, alignments and separations among various factions continued, this marked a tentative resolution of the factional struggles within the Second Bund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[S\u014dka’s Memo]<\/strong> In the factional struggles of the Communist League (Bund), each group claimed to be the legitimate central leadership, labeling others as anti-party elements or factions, and asserted their legitimacy to the masses. However, unlike the Japanese Communist Party or the Chukaku-ha, which had “strong central factions,” the Bund’s claims of legitimacy carried little weight for outsiders.
Nonetheless, once such claims were made, it became difficult to retract them later. Recognizing this reality was essential for ending factional struggles and returning to the primary focus on anti-power struggles. The decision to make this shift at the time has been regarded positively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, did this resolve all armed conflicts (gebalto) between factions or with other groups? The answer is no. It’s not so simple to say, “Let’s forget the past.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While engaging in numerous anti-power struggles over the reversion of Okinawa, intermittent gebalto continued until early 1973. These involved the Red Army Faction and the ML Faction (the Maoist “Marxist-Leninist League” originating from the Bund, which split and dissolved after June 1970) in the first half of 1970, the Han-ki Faction from the latter half of 1970 to April 28, 1971, and the Uprising War Faction-related groups, the J\u014dky\u014d Faction, and non-sectarian groups (such as the Meiji University Press Association’s “MUP Joint Struggle”<\/strong>) after April 28. Notably, attacks on the MUP Joint Struggle and on “K,” a member of the “Association Supporting the Anti-Subversive Activities Law Trial Struggle,”<\/strong> were later self-criticized in ‘Senki.’<\/strong> During this process, seeds of internal division began to sprout within the Senki-ha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[S\u014dka’s Memo]<\/strong> Internal struggles between factions might be acceptable as long as they don’t cross the line\u2014whether you win or lose, it’s self-inflicted. However, applying the same mindset to non-sectarian groups outside the party, like the MUP Joint Struggle, reflects poorly on the party’s morals and makes them no better than the Chukaku-ha. Self-criticism was inevitable. That said, the Chukaku-ha still hasn’t conducted any self-criticism for such actions, so in comparison, the Senki-ha was far better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1973: The Split of the “Senki-ha”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"1973<\/a>
1973: At the October 21 International Antiwar Struggle at Hinokicho Park, the split between the Nishida Senki and the other faction became public through separate actions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In June 1973, during the 12th Central Committee Meeting<\/strong> held at a location in Kanagawa Prefecture, the Communist League (Senki-ha) effectively split (the split was finalized in October). This marked the collapse of the first phase of the Senki-ha, which had been built since the “Y\u014duntei Fraction” in early 1970, forcing a restart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explanations and justifications regarding the points of contention\u2014such as the organizational structure, armed struggle, and policy disputes\u2014and the circumstances leading to the split have been issued by various factions over time. However, the details are highly complex, and there is no way to fully account for every action of the Central Committee members at the time. Moreover, this is not the place to debate legitimacy. Thus, this section provides only an external overview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back chronologically, by the end of 1972, the Shibuya Group<\/strong> (later the Internationalist Faction) had been formed, and by March 1973, the “Adachi Sh\u014dkai” Group<\/strong> (comprising Nishida, \u014cshita, and Shiroyama, which later split into the Nishida-\u014cshita Faction and the Shiroyama Faction) emerged. “Adachi Sh\u014dkai” was a pseudonym for the office established by this group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Nishida and his allies, the formation of these groups was a response to “the factional organizational management by the Hy\u016bga Central Faction after the summer of 1972.” However, from Hy\u016bga’s perspective, it was argued that “Nishida and his allies enclosed their respective districts and regions, forming factions by exploiting opposition to N’s bureaucratic management.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is worth noting that during this period, the organization operated under a structure consisting of a Congress, an (Expanded) Central Committee, and a (Standing) Central Committee, with local and regional committees under its jurisdiction. The (Expanded) Central Committees, labeled as “\u25cbth Session,” were composed of standing Central Committee members and representatives from local and regional branches. In the absence of a full Congress, this body served as the highest decision-making authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following chart provides an overview of the respective factions’ influence (regions are categorized by majority affiliation; minorities are not listed unless the division is nearly equal. \u2605 indicates approximate strength. Faction names are based on the names of their respective publications with “Faction” appended).<\/p>\n\n\n\n