Dr. Osami Kuboki, former president of HSA-UWC in Japan, passed peacefully into the sprit world on December 13, 1998, with many relatives and church leaders in attendance. His Seung Hwa Ceremony was held on the morning of December 15 at the Church Headquarters at Shinju-ku, where the Japanese church had its origins.
When Osami Kuboki joined the Unification Church in August 1962, he was already the youth leader of a powerful Buddhist denomination, Rissho Koseikai--which had three million members--and was expected to become its next president. Dr. Kuboki soon became the national leader of the fledgling Japanese church, a position he eventually held for 27 years. Under his leadership, it grew from a tiny community to a vast nationwide movement through successful outreach programs to all levels of society, including its highest leadership. Whenever it was needed, Dr. Kuboki sent members from Japan to support the church's expansion worldwide. He is deservedly renowned for his unflinching determination to implement and accomplish the weighty tasks with which True Parents entrusted him as representative of the global Eve nation. In 1996, True Parents assigned Dr. Kuboki as Eve nation National Messiah to China.
Dr. Kuboki is fondly and respectfully remembered by members both in Japan and around the world. We honor his sacrifice as a pioneer and leader, and offer him our heartfelt support and love for his new life in the spirit world.