A global network of people dedicated to peace.
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,
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
On June 11, SGI-Argentina (SGIAR) youth held a peace festival at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires. Over 10,000 people attended the event that featured various musical and dance performances including a performance by professional tango dancers. Youth leaders shared the determination of SGIAR youth to promote dialogue, take action against climate change, and work
On June 5, to commemorate World Environment Day, the Earth Charter International (ECI) and the Soka Institute of the Amazon signed a partnership agreement at an event in Manaus, Brazil. An ECI delegation led by ECI Executive Director Mirian Vilela and a Soka Gakkai delegation from Japan led by President Minoru Harada attended the signing ceremony at
From June 5 to 15, SGI (Soka Gakkai International) representatives participated in the 58th meeting (SB58) of the subsidiary bodies of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Bonn, Germany. On June 5, together with the Lutheran World Federation, the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University and the World Council of Churches, the SGI Office for
Women’s meetings were held around the world, commemorating the establishment of the Women’s Division by second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda in June 1951. At the meetings the women studied Buddhism, shared their stories and encouraged each other. From June 3 to 11, women in Italy held local district or chapter meetings throughout the country, with a total of
On June 3, an interfaith dialogue, jointly organized by SGI-Venezuela (SGIV), the United Religions Initiative and the Luis Dolan Chair at the Central University of Venezuela, was held at the SGI-Venezuela Peace and Friendship Cultural Center in Caracas. Various religious leaders and scholars, including SGIV Vice General Director Gustavo Cabrera, spoke on topics such as
From May 31 to June 1, Soka Gakkai of Paraguay held the SGI exhibition “From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit” in San Juan Bautista, Misiones, Paraguay. Some 300 people viewed the exhibition, including students from local schools and universities. On June 12, the Soka Gakkai of Paraguay’s
On May 30, Kent E. Calder, director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, met with Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada and Vice President Hirotsugu Terasaki at the Soka Gakkai Headquarters in Tokyo. Dr. Calder emphasized the important role of nongovernmental organizations
On May 22 and 23, the Toda Peace Institute, an affiliate of the Soka Gakkai, held a meeting in Tokyo themed “Reconstituting or Replacing the Liberal International Order?” The meeting brought together sixteen scholars from twelve countries, including Toda Institute Director Kevin Clements and Senior Research Fellow Ramesh Thakur. The participants exchanged views on issues including
On May 22, immediate past president of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) Dr. Ira Helfand and IPPNW Executive Director Michael Christ met with SGI Vice President Yoshiki Tanigawa and Executive Director of the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue Kevin Maher at the Ikeda Center, an affiliate of the Soka