Profile of Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda
President, Soka Gakkai International

Daisaku Ikeda, 70, is president of the Soka Gakkai International, a Buddhist organization devoted to peace, cultural exchange and educational activities. Ikeda is also the founder of Soka University and several other schools; the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum; the largest music and concert association in Japan; and various other cultural and research institutions. A prolific writer, he is the recipient of the United Nations Peace Medal, the Simon Wiesenthal Center's International Tolerance Award, the Rosa Parks Humanitarian Award, and honorary doctorates from more than 40 universities worldwide.

Ikeda was born in Tokyo on January 2, 1928, to a relatively poor family of seaweed processors. As an adolescent, Ikeda saw his four elder brothers drafted into military service and was deeply affected by the death of his favorite, eldest brother, who was killed in action.

He was also profoundly influenced by the stories of Japanese atrocities in Asia that his brothers reported upon their return, as well as his mother's devastation upon learning of his brother's death. These experiences, together with the debilitating effects of his long-term battle against tuberculosis amidst the anguish of post-war Japan, fueled his lifelong efforts for peace.

Ikeda, who had joined the Soka Gakkai in 1947 after meeting second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, became its third president in 1960. Under his leadership the movement expanded internationally, experienced unprecedented growth, and actively engaged itself in peace, cultural and educational endeavors. In 1975 he became president of the Soka Gakkai International, a position he still holds.

As an advocate for peace, Ikeda has traveled to more than 50 countries to meet both world leaders, intellectuals, artists and writers, holding discussions on such issues as education, the role of culture in building peace, and human development.

He is widely credited in China for taking the initiative to open negotiations that resulted in the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Japan in 1972. He has also published more than 150 works in several languages in an effort to promote peace and international understanding.

Ikeda's basic message is that an "inner-motivated reformation" within each individual - rather than societal, economic or structural reforms - is what will bring about the sure and lasting establishment of a peaceful and compassionate society. His comprehensive writings, speeches, published dialogues and religious activities have been conducted with an eye toward promoting the view that individuals have within themselves the power and potential to make a real and positive difference in the world.

Ikeda had met with Linus Pauling on several occasions since their first encounter in 1987, and a compilation of their discussions was published in 1992 under the title A Lifelong Quest for Peace.

Daisaku Ikeda and his wife, Kaneko, reside in Tokyo, Japan.