Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, born 2 January 1928, is the President of the Soka Gakkai International, and as a peace activist he has been tirelessly pursuing the values of peace, culture and education for the past 58 years, committed to fostering within individuals a sense of responsibility for the shared global community. He is also the founder of various educational, cultural and research institutions.
As president of SGI, Dr. Ikeda has travelled widely for the past 45 years and held dialogue with leading thinkers and visionaries of the world, based on his firm belief that dialogue is the most basic starting point for peace. He has also written extensively, with over 50 publications to his name.
Dr. Ikeda’s visionary leadership has made him the recipient of 200 honorary doctorates and awards including the United Nations Peace award, the International Tolerance award of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and the Rosa Parks Humanitarian Award. On April 21st 2005, the Times Foundation in India conferred the Prestigious ‘‘Mahavir-Mahatama Award’ on Dr. Daisaku Ikeda.
Under Dr. Ikeda’s leadership, the SGI has increasingly worked to bring wisdom to bear on the broader social problems facing humanity. In line with his vision, he has also founded a number of independent, secular organisations to further the pursuit of peace, culture and education. These include the Soka school system, the Min-on Concert Century, The Toda institute of Global Peace and Policy research and the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum.
