| Happiness Realization Party 幸福実現党 Kōfuku Jitsugen-tō |
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|---|---|
| President | Ryuho Okawa |
| Founded | 23 May 2009 |
| Ideology | Pro-Ryuho Okawa and Happy Science Pacifism Anti-nuclear Third Way Democracy |
| International affiliation | Happy Science |
| Official colours | Blue, yellow |
| Councillors | 1 |
| Representatives | 0 |
| Website | |
| http://www.hr-party.jp/ (Japanese) |
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| Politics of Japan Political parties Elections |
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The Happiness Realization Party (幸福実現党 Kōfuku Jitsugen-tō), abbreviated as 幸福,[1] is a Japanese political party founded by Ryuho Okawa on 23 May 2009 "in order to offer the Japanese people a third option" for the upcoming elections in August 2009. The HRP is the political wing of the Happy Science religious movement.
Okawa is the current president of the party.[2] One of the stated reasons for establishing The Happiness Realization Party was that neither of the two major parties, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) or the opposing Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), has defined a clear plan to deal with the threats of North Korea from their missile testing or how to lift the country out of an economic recession. Tax reduction is one of the party's stated goals.
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The party had 345 candidates, placing it on the ballots of 99% of Japan's 300 constituencies.[1] Many perennial candidates such as Yoshiro Nakamatsu joined the HRP.[3] However, the party did not win any seats in the election.[4][5]
In May 2010, Yasuhiro Oe changed political allegiance to the HRP, giving it the party's first voting member in Japanese national politics. He has since left the party.
According to the HRP's manifesto their plan is to more than double Japan's population to 300 million through making child-rearing easier for mothers. Other aims include actively accepting foreigners, taking more responsibility as a world leader, amending the pacifist Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution to be able to guarantee the safety and protection of its people against the military threat of North Korea, to encourage a nuclear-free world grounded in a spirit of religious tolerance, and introduce a religion education, as they state, that is based on a universal spirit of love, compassion, spirit of self-help and be able to make the distinction between good and evil.[6]
According to The Japan Times, "for many, the Happies smell suspiciously like a cult".[6] The party has released promotional videos that claim North Korea and the People's Republic of China are plotting to invade and colonize Japan after first subduing it through nuclear warfare.
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