The Japanese Communist Party, although still a minor factor in either house of the Diet, is gaining popularity among voters as its membership grows again and as an increasing number of people watch the Web sites of party chairman Kazuo Shii. This worries other political parties, since a general election is due no later than September.

One of the principal factors behind the surge in the JCP's popularity has been its efforts to help irregularly employed workers who have recently been fired or refused contract renewals by corporations whose balance sheets have deteriorated fast due to the global financial crisis.

In December, Shii spent all of the time allocated to him in a Lower House Budget Committee meeting to drive home to Prime Minister Taro Aso and other members of his Cabinet the miserable plight of displaced workers.

This was followed by his direct appeal to top executives of two automakers — Toyota Motor Corp. and Isuzu Motors Ltd. — not to dismiss any more workers, and the first ever meeting between the JCP head and the all-powerful Japan Business Federation. Many were impressed with the rising influence of Shii, as Toyota Senior Managing Director Mamoru Furuhashi visited the party's headquarters, bowing deeply and shaking hands with the party chairman...

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I've always said that if I had voting rights in Japan, I'd vote Communist, simply because the other parties are so hopelessly corrupt.