LIHU‘E — Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, the third president of the Soka Gakkai International group, and his wife, Kaneko, are honorary citizens of Kaua‘i. Representatives of the Buddhist association accepted a mayoral proclamation from the mayor’s administrative assistant, Beth Tokioka, Tuesday
LIHU‘E — Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, the third president of the Soka Gakkai International group, and his wife, Kaneko, are honorary citizens of Kaua‘i.
Representatives of the Buddhist association accepted a mayoral proclamation from the mayor’s administrative assistant, Beth Tokioka, Tuesday at the Mo‘ikeha Building.
Although Ikeda was unable to attend the ceremony, the proclamation was accepted by Yoshitaka Oba, Soka Gakkai International general director.
Also on hand for the recognition were Kayoko Asano, Soka Gakkai International Women’s Leader; Daniel Nagashima, Soka Gakkai International, USA General Director; Kyoichi Rikitake, Soka Gakkai International North America and Oceania Bureau Director; Cliff Sawyer, Soka Gakkai International, USA Vice President; and Steve Mortan, Soka Gakkai International, USA West Territory Manager of Planning and Communication.
About 4,000 Soka Gakkai International members met at the Hawai‘i Convention Center on O‘ahu, Sunday, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of its founding in 1930. Ikeda is the third president of the organization since its founding and 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of Ikeda’s visit to Hawai‘i.
Ikeda’s visit to the state this year marks the beginning of his consistent and broad reaching travels around the globe to promote peace, culture and education.
Since its founding, Soka Gakkai International has become the largest and most diverse lay-Buddhist community in the United States with 300,000 adherents across the country, the proclamation states.
Soka Gakkai International celebrates more than 12 million members in 192 countries that actively promotes peace, culture and education through personal change and social contribution.
The United Nations recognizes Soka Gakkai International as a non-governmental organization and its message of promoting world peace through annual peace proposals submitted annually on Jan. 26 by Ikeda.
For more information, visit the Soka Gakkai International Web site at www.sgi-usa.org.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
