Ryuho Okawa


Ryuho Okawa is the CEO and founder of the Happy Science religious organization and the Happiness Realization Party in Japan. He is also chairman of two companies affiliated with the organization, Newster Production and ARI Production.
His organization has been widely criticised as a cult. Adherents of the religion worship Okawa as "El Cantare", the reincarnated consciousness of Buddha.

Life and career

After graduating from the University of Tokyo, he joined a Tokyo-based trading house. While working at its New York headquarters in 1982-1983, he studied finance at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. In 1986, he resigned his business career and started Happy Science.
Since the founding of Happy Science, Okawa has reportedly published over 500 books, most of which are transcripts of his video recorded lectures. There are 15 films based on his teachings: The Laws of the Sun, The Laws of Eternity, The Golden Laws, The Terrifying Revelations of Nostradamus, Hermes - Winds of Love, The Rebirth of Buddha, The Mystical Laws, The Final Judgement, The Laws of the Universe, I'm Fine My Angel, The World We Live In, and Daybreak. The three books The Laws of the Sun, The Golden Laws, and The Laws of Eternity contain the core teachings of Happy Science.
He was married to Kyoko Okawa, former leader of the Happiness Realization Party and self-proclaimed "reborn Aphrodite and bodhisattva of wisdom and intellect", but it was reported in February 2011 that they had divorced. Happy Science announced that she had been permanently expelled for allegedly causing great personal and administrative damage to the organization, libeling the organization in various newspapers, and besmirching the name of Lord El Cantare.
He is now married to Shio Okawa, who is believed by members of Happy Science to be the incarnation of the goddess Gaia.
Okawa was the target of an assassination attempt by Aum Shinrikyo in January 1995 using VX agent.