The president of the socially engaged Japanese Nichiren Buddhist organization the Soka Gakkai, Minoru Harada, issued a statement on 1 August, commemorating 80 years since the end of World War II. Titled “Creating a Wave of Change Toward a Century Without War,” the statement affirms the Soka Gakkai’s firm commitment to creating a peaceful world.
In his statement, Harada expressed regret over the suffering caused by the Japanese military during World War II, and recalled the terrifying experience of the firebombing of Tokyo in 1945. He also emphasized that the starting point for the Soka Gakkai’s peace advocacy, developed under the leadership of the late Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda (1928–2023), has always been the suffering of innocent civilians.
The Soka Gakkai has also announced an upcoming symposium on nuclear disarmament, which will be held in Hiroshima on 24 August.
“As a Japanese citizen, I once again firmly pledge to continue working to build peace not only in the Asia-Pacific region, where Japan’s past actions caused immense devastation and suffering, but also throughout the world, guided by deep reflection on this history.” Harada stated. He voiced concern over the continuing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and called for persistent diplomatic efforts to achieve genuine peace, along with efforts to galvanize public opinion toward the prohibition of nuclear weapons.
Harada concluded his statement by outlining three key commitments of the Soka Gakkai:
1. Ongoing youth exchanges, in line with the Soka Gakkai’s track record of promoting grassroots dialogues with neighboring countries in Asia.
2. A commitment to continued engagement in interfaith dialogue of the Soka Gakkai and the SGI.
3. The expansion of global solidarity and commitment to ongoing support for UN-centered efforts to address issues such as human rights and climate change.
“We firmly believe that friendships forged by the youth of the next generation will serve as the most powerful foundation for a bulwark against war,” Harada observed. “Now, more than ever, the international community must transition from an era characterized by increasing mutual mistrust leading to military buildup to one in which nations work together to tackle common threats and challenges facing humanity. By steadily advancing such efforts, the path toward a century defined by the renunciation of war will inevitably come into clear view.”
Separately, the Soka Gakkai announced that the “Choose Hope Symposium: Renewing Our Commitment for a Future Without Nuclear Weapons” would be held at the International Conference Center Hiroshima on 24 August, in cooperation with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and sponsored by the UNITAR Association, Mayors for Peace, and the Japan Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
The event will feature two main panels: “Confronting the Nuclear Threat: Global Testimonies and the Urgency of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons;” and “Hope in Action: Carrying the Legacy, Building the Future.”
The keynote speakers will be investigative journalist and bestselling author Annie Jacobsen, and Ivana Nikolić Hughes, president of the Santa Barbara-based Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and senior lecturer in chemistry at Columbia University.
Mariko Higashino from Hiroshima, a second-generation hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), will give a testimony on the hibakusha experience.
The symposium is open to all and will be conducted primarily in English, with simultaneous interpretation available. Preregistration is required.
Founded in 1930, the Soka Gakkai (the Value Creation Society) is a Japanese Buddhist movement based on the teachings of the 13th century Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–82). Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, believed to contain the teachings of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, toward the end of his life, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment. Soka Gakkai centers its teachings on the Lotus Sutra, with recitation of the mantra “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (“Glory to the Dharma of the Lotus Sutra”) as its main devotional practice.
Some of the Soka Gakkai’s high-profile members have included actor Orlando Bloom, jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and singer Tina Turner.
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Soka Gakkai
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