A global network of people dedicated to peace.
From October 30 to November 1, the World Youth Development Forum was held in Beijing under the theme “Youth Strength for Solidarity and Innovation: Striving Together for Sustainable Development.” Shuichi Minami, chair of the Soka Gakkai Youth Peace Committee in Japan, attended the three-day forum, which brought together some two thousand participants from 130 countries
On October 20, Soka Gakkai Italy held an opening ceremony for the climate action exhibition “Heritage of Life” in the town of Chiavari in Liguria. Chiavari Mayor Federico Messuti attended the event. The exhibition was created based on President Daisaku Ikeda’s 2012 environment proposal titled “For a Sustainable Global Society: Learning for Empowerment and Leadership.” The
From October 17 to 19, Nobuyuki Asai, director for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the SGI (Soka Gakkai International), participated in and gave opening remarks at the Annual Forum on Religion and Sustainable Development 2023 hosted by the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD) in Berlin, Germany. On October 19, Mr. Asai facilitated a
On October 13, Amnesty International, the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots and the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) hosted an event to launch an exhibition titled “Automated by Design” in New York. The exhibition, designed by Identity 2.0, situates autonomous weapons within the larger issue of digital dehumanization—the process by which humans are reduced to data. Verity Coyle,
On October 1, the “Seeds of Hope & Action: Making the SDGs a Reality” exhibition, a joint initiative of the Earth Charter International and the SGI (Soka Gakkai International), opened at the peace garden adjacent to the Soka Gakkai of Spain center in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Madrid. The opening ceremony was attended by Rivas-Vaciamadrid City Mayor Aída Castillejo Parrilla.
On September 24, Soka Gakkai members in 24 countries in Africa attended an online lecture by SGI Study Department Leader Seiichiro Harada on Nichiren’s writing “Letter from Sado.” President Daisaku Ikeda sent a congratulatory message. On the same day, SGI-Nicaragua held an introductory level Buddhist study exam in three cities across the country, including the capital city
On September 15, the Ministry of the Interior of Taiwan conferred a Gold Award upon Taiwan Soka Association (TSA) in recognition of its contributions to society. TSA received the award for the 23rd consecutive time. The award ceremony, held in Taipei, was attended by Premier of the Executive Yuan Chen Chien-jen and Minister of the
From September 10 to 12, an SGI (Soka Gakkai International) delegation led by SGI Director General for Peace and Global Issues Hirotsugu Terasaki attended the 37th International Meeting of Religions and Cultures in Dialogue, themed “The Audacity of Peace,” in Berlin, Germany. The conference was hosted by the lay Catholic association Community of Sant’Egidio. On September 11,
On September 9 and 10, SGI-Philippines held study conferences at the Philippine Culture Center in Quezon City and the Manila International Peace Center. These were held both in-person and online. SGI Vice Study Department Leader Koji Ishida gave lectures on “The Buddhism of the People” chapters from the book A Religion of Human Revolution by President Daisaku Ikeda based
On September 5 and 6, SGI (Soka Gakkai International) representatives attended the CARICOM Conference 2023: The Human Impacts of Autonomous Weapons, held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The event was organized by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs of
From August 31 to September 4, a total of 106 youth from 44 countries and territories participated in the SGI Youth Training Course in Tokyo, Japan. The event featured a study session, exchange meetings and participation in the Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting on September 2. President Daisaku Ikeda sent a congratulatory message to the opening ceremony.
On August 29, the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) co-organized the regional conference “Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia” in Astana, Kazakhstan, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Center for International Security and Policy and ICAN. Participants included delegates
On August 24, Soka International School Malaysia (SISM) held its first entrance ceremony at its campus in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan State, welcoming 112 students from nine countries and territories. The students will study in Years 7 to 9. Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada and Senior Vice President Yoshiki Tanigawa, who are respectively SISM senior adviser
On August 7, the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) cosponsored a hybrid event titled “In Discussion with Global Youth: Inheriting the Experiences of Hibakusha” together with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF), Nyuklia Eureka, Reverse the Trend (RTT) and Youth
From July 31 to August 11, the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (2023 NPT Preparatory Committee) was held at the Vienna International Centre in Austria. An SGI (Soka Gakkai International) delegation led by SGI Director General for Peace and
From July 21 to 23, for the first time in four years, a European Student Division training course was held. The event was held at the Frankfurt Ikeda Peace Culture Centre in Germany, bringing together students from 18 countries across the continent. President Daisaku Ikeda sent a congratulatory message. The event featured faith experiences and an activity
On July 13, Ambassador of Rwanda to Japan Rwamucyo Ernest met with Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada at the Soka Gakkai Headquarters. With women accounting for more than 60 percent of the Rwandan parliament, the two discussed the leading role the country is playing in the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment. Ambassador Rwamucyo
From July 5 to 14, an exhibition titled “The Courage to Remember: The Holocaust 1939–1945, The Bravery of Anne Frank and Chiune Sugihara” was held at Soka University in Japan to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The exhibition was co-organized by the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Soka University, with
On June 28, the third BSG (Bharat Soka Gakkai) Women’s Symposium was held in New Delhi. Some 7,000 people attended the hybrid event that was titled “Transforming Lives: Women as Catalysts for Social Change.” Radhika Bharat Ram, joint vice chairperson of Shri Ram Schools, delivered the keynote speech in which she emphasized that when women
On June 21, two Norwegian peace scholars, Dr. Asle Toje and Professor Alexander Harang of International Peace and Understanding, visited the Soka Gakkai Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. They met with Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada and Vice President Hirotsugu Terasaki and discussed the role of the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) in raising awareness of issues around nuclear