Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai Honorary President, Dies at 95

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:25 JST, November 18, 2023

Daisaku Ikeda, the honorary president of lay Buddhist group Soka Gakkai, died on Wednesday at the age of 95, it was revealed Saturday.

Ikeda joined in Soka Gakkai in 1947 and became its third chairman in 1960, expanding the organization and making it into one of the nation’s largest religious groups. He was also actively involved in politics, establishing Komeito in 1964, which currently serves as the junior coalition partner of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Ikeda resigned as chairman in 1979 and become honorary president, but he continued to maintain power in the organization.