On Friday, 14 June, Master Ryuho Okawa, founder and president of the Happiness Realization Party (HRP), delivered a lecture, Come What May, Die for the Truth! at the main hall of the Grand Cube Osaka in Osaka city.

On 1 August 2009, the year in which HRP was founded, Okawa delivered a lecture, We Will Never Give Up Our Aspiration, at the same venue. Thinking back on that lecture, he said, “Although it has been 10 years, we have not given up our aspiration. Back then, I said that HRP will produce 10 presidents or prime ministers by the end of the 21st century. I have not given it up because we still have about 81 years left. At that time, China started to expand its hegemony and North Korea was reinforcing its military strength. While the Democratic Party of Japan, the ruling party of the time, ideally thought to make Asian ‘sea of peace’ together with China, it could’ve been ‘the sea of blood’ or ‘the sea of fire’ if things turned out for the worst. So, I founded HRP to warn people.”

Regarding the protest in Hong Kong, he said that Agnes Chow, also called ‘the Goddess of Democracy,’ came to Japan and urged Japanese people to support the movement. “Nonetheless,” he added, “Japanese politicians keep silence because the G20 summit is coming up and because they fear that they might be criticized by China if they support the democracy movement in Hong Kong. The Chinese government may set various conditions when Xi Jinping comes to Japan as a national guest next year. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) does not want to touch on the issue, and the opposition parties oppose to constitutional revision and say nothing related to war because they think only of winning the election. I am very sorry for the situation in Hong Kong.” Regarding the amendment to the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation, he commented that there is no doubt that it is the first and second steps to restrict the freedom based on human rights, such as the freedom of speech, voting, political activity, and the press in Hong Kong. He further went on to say, “If Hong Kong loses their freedom, Taiwan will be next.” Okawa then cautioned harshly the Japanese society and politicians, who act as if this issue is none of their business. “If Taiwan falls, Senkaku Islands and Okinawa will be targeted. We must consider this seriously, as the future of Japan depends on it.” “Since the content of this lecture will surely reach the people in Hong Kong,” he declared, “in the name of Ryuho Okawa, the founder of Happy Science Group and HRP, I would like to state clearly that we will support the people in Hong Kong to protect their freedom!” The audience gave a round of applause.

Criticizing the human rights violation in China as an unforgivable act for a super power, Okawa went on to discuss the main theme of the lecture, Come What May, Die for the Truth! “That is what atheism and materialism leads to. They think of nothing but the power in this world. However, humans seek for justice and goodness precisely because they think that there is the other world and that God and Buddha watch over this world. People then risk their life and fight for what is right, for God and Buddha.”

He also referred to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s meeting with Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei and President Rouhani in an effort to mediate the tension between the U.S. and Iran. On the attack of Japanese oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz during Prime Minister Abe’s meeting with Supreme Leader Khamenei, Okawa said, “Prime Minister Abe displayed the honeymoon relationship with the U.S. ostentatiously and met the Iranian leaders as a messenger for President Trump. Nevertheless, while claiming to be a friend of Iran, Japan has stopped importing Iranian oil, joining the sanction by Western nations. So, the attack was meant to warn Japan that it is just a puppet of the U.S. There is an impending risk for the Japanese energy situation, since all tankers have to pass through the Strait of Hormuz even when importing oil from countries other than Iran. Although the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry claims there will be no problem importing energy, it is not true. There is a potential risk of war, too.” He then pointed out that, in the case of 9/11 attacks, the U.S. targeted and destroyed Iraq, thereby creating confusion in the Middle East, despite the fact that the ringleaders of the attack, including Osama bin Laden, were mainly from Saudi Arabia. “Now, the U.S. has the reason to attack Iran,” Okawa said, “but there will be a huge number of casualties if the U.S. attacks Iran, and Japan’s energy supply will also be at risk.” Moreover, he claimed, “Japanese nuclear energy generation should not be suspended. If Japan only relies on thermal power, it might have no choice but to go to war when oil stops coming in. Only we, HRP, were asserting this policy, and we were right.”

Lastly, Master Okawa ended the lecture with the following: “Alliances are important, but Japan must become a nation that can clearly state what it must as an independent nation. The LDP is a shame, but the opposition parties, including the Japanese Communist Party, also just worship the Constitution of Japan which was ‘granted’ by Douglas MacArthur. I want to say that it is about time for the Japanese to become real Japanese nationals. Japan must become an independent nation and send out the right messages to the world. We need to continue to fulfill our mission as if we will die for the Truth. I do not think it is shameful for us to experience defeat many times in our quest for utopia. Our true mission is indeed to establish Buddhaland in this world.” The audience gave a big applause.