In any human society, the maxim ‘Do not lie!’ is one of the most universal moral principles. The source of morality is religion. Looking at different world religions, in Buddhism “Thou shalt not lie” is one of the five commandments to be upheld by its followers. In Christianity, too, honesty is an important virtue, and Muhammad, prophet of Islam, strictly forbade lying.

Sadly, the Japanese government seems to lack religious spirit, and does not uphold the basic moral virtue of honesty. Japanese politicians are not telling citizens the truth about the country’s financial situation. They might not constantly tell outright lies, but making decisions while keeping half the truth hidden from the public is nothing but a less direct way of lying. They deserve to be called dishonest.
This is part of the lecture ‘National Strategies for the Future’ Master Ryuho Okawa gave on July 4th 2010 in Yokohama, speaking to an audience of thousands. It talks about the situation one and a half years ago, but what it says has hardly changed today.

Master Okawa is the most influential spiritual leader of Japan, but his background is unusual for the founder of a religious organization. After he studied political science at Tokyo University’s law faculty, he worked for a major Japanese business firm for five years. While working at the firm’s headquarters in New York, he studied international finance at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. With all his academic insight and business acumen, Master Okawa takes a religious stance and urges the Japanese government to be honest and stop hiding things. (see quote below)