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The following was originally published in the April 27, 2023, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. by Daisaku IkedaPresident, Soka Gakkai International The Ukraine crisis, which in addition to bringing devastation to the people of that country has had severe impacts on a global scale—even giving rise to the specter of nuclear
On April 2, the SGI-USA Orlando Buddhist Center opened in Orlando, Florida. The opening ceremony was attended by some 300 members and guests. On the same day, SGI-New Zealand also opened a new center in Auckland. President Daisaku Ikeda sent congratulatory messages to both ceremonies.
On March 30, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries President Lin Songtian visited the Soka Gakkai Headquarters in Tokyo and met with Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada. Mr. Lin thanked the Soka Gakkai and President Daisaku Ikeda for promoting friendship between the people of the two countries. President Harada affirmed that the Soka Gakkai would
On March 27, former president of Ireland Mary Robinson visited the Soka Gakkai Headquarters in Tokyo. She met with Senior Vice President Yoshiki Tanigawa and the chairs of the Soka Gakkai’s Peace Committee and Women’s Peace Committee. Ms. Robinson was in Tokyo to meet with organizations working on climate issues. As chair of The Elders,
From March 27 to April 1, the Youth Leaders Multilateral Workshop on Global Youth Agenda was held in Beijing, bringing together youth from various international organizations to promote collaboration toward achieving the SDGs. Noriko Komatsu, vice chair of the Youth Peace Conference of the Soka Gakkai, presented on the organization’s peace efforts. On March 28,
On March 25, an interfaith symposium organized by the Madrid Association for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue [tentative translation] was held at the Soka Gakkai of Spain center in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Madrid. Dr. Juan José Tamayo, a theologian and professor emeritus at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, gave the keynote speech on the importance of nurturing
On March 18, Soka Gakkai youth from Tohoku organized a seminar at the Tohoku Culture Center in Sendai, marking 12 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. The seminar was part of the “Soka Global Action 2030” peace initiative. Soka Gakkai Peace Committee Executive Director Nobuyuki Asai introduced relief activities conducted by the
From March 10 to 12, the World BOSAI Forum 2023 (International Disaster and Risk Conference) was held in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Scholars and civil society representatives discussed how to promote the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. On March 12, Musicians Without Borders (MWB) and SGI (Soka Gakkai International) co-organized a session titled “Approach to Psychosocial
From March 6 to 17, the 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) was held at the UN Headquarters in New York. On March 9, the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) hosted a parallel event titled “Women’s Leadership for Human-Centered Technology,” at which Ivy Koek of the SGI Office for UN Affairs
On March 1, members of GreenFaith, a multifaith environmental NGO, visited the Soka Gakkai Headquarters in Tokyo. Led by Executive Director Reverent Fletcher Harper, delegates Hening Parlan from Indonesia and Meryne Warah from Kenya spoke about the increasing number of climate-induced disasters, stating that women and children in developing countries are the most impacted. Miyuki
On February 23 and 24, the Government of Costa Rica held the Latin American and the Caribbean Conference on the Social and Humanitarian Impact of Autonomous Weapons in San José, Costa Rica. Prior to that, the Stop Killer Robots coalition held its fourth global meeting, “The Digital Dehumanisation Conference,” from February 20 to 22. Hayato
From February 23 to March 4, the exhibition “Restoring Our Humanity,” jointly created by the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network and the SGI (Soka Gakkai International), was shown at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD). The exhibition encourages viewers to reflect on actions they can take on humanitarian issues. UASD Vice Rector Rosalia Sosa Pérez
On February 14, General Director of Soka Gakkai of Mexico Nereo Ordaz Anzurez spoke at an event commemorating the 56th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco). In conjunction with the event, the exhibition “Everything You Treasure—For a World Free
On February 3 and 4, Soka Gakkai Singapore (SGS) members performed at the annual Chingay Parade held at the F1 Pit Building, Marina Bay Street circuit. This is the 39th year that SGS has participated in the parade, which is celebrated to coincide with Lunar New Year. The parade was attended by Prime Minister Lee
From February 1 to 10, the “Everything You Treasure—For a World Free From Nuclear Weapons” exhibition, jointly created by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and the SGI (Soka Gakkai International), was held at the La Piedad Campus of El Colegio de Michoacán (The College of Michoacán) in Mexico. This was the 22nd time the
On January 27, the Toda Peace Institute, an affiliate of the Soka Gakkai, held a seminar titled “Global Challenges to Peace in the 21st Century” in Tokyo, Japan. The event consisted of two panel discussions that were facilitated by Director of the Toda Peace Institute Kevin Clements. In the first, panelists discussed the role of social
Between January 24 and 28, a Soka Gakkai delegation joined some 1,000 scholars and civil society representatives from 90 countries attending the 5th International Conference For World Balance in Havana, Cuba. The event, themed “With all and for the good of all,” was held to mark the 170th anniversary of the birth of José Martí,
From January 23 to 25, a Soka Gakkai delegation led by Chair of the Soka Gakkai Peace Committee Tomohiko Aishima visited Agouégan village in Togo and a reforestation project run by the African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests (REFACOF) and supported by the International Tropical Timber Organization and the Soka Gakkai. Cécile Ndjebet,
On January 21, SGI-USA opened the SGI Guam Ikeda Peace and Culture Center in Tamuning, Guam. A delegation led by Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada and Soka Gakkai Senior Vice President Yoshiki Tanigawa attended the opening ceremony to which President Daisaku Ikeda sent a congratulatory message. To mark the opening, the Guam Legislature presented a resolution recognizing
On January 14 and 15, the 3rd European Summit Towards the 100th Anniversary of the Soka Gakkai was held at the Soka Gakkai Italy center in Rome. Some 900 people from 34 countries attended the hybrid meeting. The event featured faith experiences, a report by Soka Gakkai representatives who had participated in COP27 and a