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Speaking at CPAC: Former leader of the magical cult that channels Ghost of Trump
HARUMI OZAWATOKYO – Even by the standards of the alleged kooks and conmen customarily on the CPAC list, one of this year’s speakers has an extraordinary background that includes the front line of an organization that – in all seriousness – claims to be channeling Donald Trump’s patron deity The former political leader of a Japanese cult called Happy Science, Jay “Hiroaki” Aeba, is on the bill for Friday. Like Trump, Aeba was accused of fraud at home but he doesn’t think it should be. We asked Aeba for clarification but got no response. He is now the head of the Japanese Conservative Union, despite saying last year he still believes in Happy Science. Aeba’s guru Ryuho Okawa claims to be a Venusian god named El Cantare who created life on earth – and is also a reincarnation of the Buddha, just in case you wonder. Not only is Okawa a fancy dresser and a self-proclaimed deity, but he says he has the power to channel the spirits of any person, living or dead. He claims to have had a great awakening in 1981 and founded the Happy Science religion (Kofuku no Kagaku) in 1986. In American terms, he’s like Billy Graham, who was crossed with Shirley MacLaine. He channeled the spirits of Jesus, Kim Jong II, and even received an exclusive interview with the protective spirit of Donald Trump in 2016. In this amazing encounter, Trump’s ghost about Okawa correctly stated that he would be the next you’ve never seen anything like the ghost of Donald Trump, who owns a Japanese visionary and speaks of New York cheesecake as a political metaphor. It is a pity that the god (Okawa) cannot make it to CPAC himself, but at least his former student Aeba speaks. The CPAC, which runs through Sunday afternoon, shows off the best and smartest of the Republican Party and its allies, such as a riot that sweeps away Missouri Senator Josh Hawley and the usual array of foxes and fiends from Rupert Murdoch’s NewsCorp. Aeba is said to be on the podium right after Donald Trump Jr. and speak about China’s threat to the United States. This won’t be the first time Aeba has spoken at the event – in fact, he claims to be the first Japanese to speak on the main stage of the event. When you read Aeba’s online profile in English, it doesn’t seem like outright lies at first glance, but there are things that the Jesuits would call sins of omission. He is a self-proclaimed Conservative commentator, columnist, and chairman of the Japanese Conservative Union (JCU) founded in 2015. The profile states: “Jay attended his first CPAC in 2011 and founded JCU in 2015 as a counterpart to the American Conservative Union (ACU). In 2017, JCU and ACU jointly hosted the first international CPAC in Tokyo, where experts from across the Indo-Pacific met to discuss critical issues such as the region’s economic and military security in the face of Chinese expansionism, the threat posed by North Korea, Development and regulation of the cryptocurrency market…. To date, JCU and ACU have hosted four Japanese CPACs. “All of this is true. What is not mentioned in his biography is that Aeba was a member of the Japanese Happy Science cult for many years and was also an important figure in the creation of their political arm, the Happiness Realization Party. Supposedly, the Happy Science cult teaches that Okawa, the founder is a god, and only by following his teachings can one attain happiness in this life and the next. They believe in aliens, reincarnation and multidimensional. Some of the teachings are modeled on the eightfold Buddhist path and preach love, wisdom and self-reflection. At the same time, however, the cult also teaches that the massacre in Nanjing never took place and that Japan must repeal its pacifist constitution, prepare itself as much as possible and prepare for a catastrophic war. A weekly magazine reported that the group’s total equity is close to $ 1.8 billion – money earned to encourage believers to buy copies of Okawa’s many books, extract lavish donations from followers, and give self-help seminars that carried out by the organization. Of course, they also sell prayers and spells. During the pandemic, Happy Science found itself in hot water selling “cures” for COVID-19. Happy Science – not just being a spiritual force – founded its own political party in 2009, and Aeba was the first party leader. He served as the head of the research department and held many other positions within the party. When he attended his first CPAC in 2011, he was still an executive member of the Happiness Realization Party and presumably began networking with America’s conservative elite in hopes of giving the Happiness Party an aura of legitimacy. Jay ”Aeba, and sometimes Jay H. Aeba, was born in 1967 and graduated from Keio University’s elite legal department in 1989. He joined Happy Science headquarters in 1990 and became its political leader in May 2009. He served as the organization’s PR chief. In 2013 he became head of the research and investigation department. In 2015 he allegedly left the party and founded the Japanese Conservative Union. It’s not entirely clear what relationship Aeba had with his previous party after JCU was founded, but his relationships with Happy Science seem strained – much like Trump’s relationship with the GOP. Although he said in an interview published in SEIRON magazine last year that he still believes in happy science. On April 6, 2020, he changed his name to Hiroaki Aeba. Three days later, on April 9th, Happy Science publicly refused to have any connection with Hiroaki Aeba aka Jikido Aeba and the JCU on its website. Why? Possibly because last April two magazines reported a scandal within the JCU that appeared to involve Aeba in a possible fraud involving cryptocurrency. According to the articles, Aeba raised nearly $ 9 million to create a virtual currency called Liberty. In his fundraising campaign, he used a photo of himself and Donald Trump in a brochure given to potential investors. The photo was enough to convince many of its credibility. The Japanese media reports that it is still a mystery what happened to the nearly $ 9 million that was used to create the virtual currency and that there has been internal fighting within the JCU. The JCU told The Daily Beast in an email about the alleged wrongdoing in the cryptocurrency: “Jay [Aeba] and JCU will work with experts, including attorneys, to address and address this issue. “One thing is certain: the photo of Trump and Aeba is actually real. There are some similarities between Aeba and Trump. They are both political opportunists, charismatic speakers who are adept at using prominent connections to improve their image – and both have been accused of fraud. For Aeba, his pictures and meetings with Trump gave him an air of prestige and access among Japan’s archconservatives. He may have used this for his own personal gain rather than the good of the happy science cult, but it seems to be working well. While Aeba was a member of the Happiness Realization Party, the cult’s political arm, he gave them access to the wealth and influence of the Republican Party. JCU told The Daily Beast, “Since its inception [in 2015] JCU has never had a relationship with Happy Science (HS) or the Happiness Realization Party (HRP). Chairman Jay Aeba has now completely left the HS organization and HRP. With regard to his personal religious beliefs, we do not know because the JCU has a policy of religious freedom for all members and employees. Trump supporters at CPAC might fear the Republican Party is trying to get out of the Trump era, but even if he does return as a 2024 presidential candidate, Trump is mortal and, unlike cult leader Okawa, he does not claim he will be reborn again and again will and will live on forever. This is where the happy science cult comes in. Even if he is dead, the spirit of Trump can rule over a magical medium for years. Isn’t that something to be happy about? Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside delves deeper into the stories that matter to you. 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