founding of the Japan Communist Youth League marked the successful culmination of that attempt. The new organization has about 1, 000 members, of which about 20
1971-73 the explosion of student activities died out, and so did the activity of many other groups - or at least they declined markedly. Some of the largest organizations involved in this process are now engaged in internecine physical warfare - the "uchigcha, " which have already claimed many victims.
We can say that we are the only far-left organization that is nationally based and is really functioning politically in the present situation. This is the result of a process of degeneration of the Japanese far left which we have been able to escape. We are now in position to try to win political hegemony in the far left during the coming two to three years. At the same time, the process of developing our organization must be carried on in an internationalist fashion. That is why we are intensifying our efforts to participate fully in the building of the Fourth International. Paris, March 10, 1975
RAR 65% are young workers, 30% students, and 5% highschoolers. The founding conference was attended by more than 100 delegates and many observers coming from thirty cities throughout Japan. Solidarity messages were received from the comrades of the Daily Combatting Bulletin Group (Hong Kong), the Young Socialist Alliance (United States), and the Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire (France). The conference discussed and adopted an organizational report, a political report, and statutes. Ken Ishimari was elected national chairman, Kenichi Okado and Masaru Yokoi were elected national vice-chairmen, and Katsu Yasuda was elected national secretary.