Early life and background

Ikeda was born in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, on the 2nd of January, 1928. Ikeda had four older brothers, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. His parents later adopted two more children, for a total of 10 children. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the Ikeda family had successfully farmed nori, edible seaweed, in Tokyo Bay. By the turn of the twentieth century, the Ikeda family business was the largest producer of nori in Tokyo. However, after the devastation of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, the family's enterprise was left in ruins, and by the time Ikeda was born, his family was financially struggling.

In 1937, full-blown war erupted between Japan and China, and Ikeda's eldest brother, Kiichi, was drafted into military service. Within a few years, Ikeda’s three other elder brothers were drafted as well. In 1942, while all of his older brothers were overseas in the Asian theatres of World War II, Ikeda's father, Nenokichi, fell ill and was bedridden for two years. To help support his family, at the age of 14, Ikeda began working in the Niigata Steelworks munitions factory as part of Japan's wartime youth labor corps.

In May 1945, Ikeda’s home was destroyed by fire during an Allied air raid, and his family was forced to move to the Omori area of Tokyo. In May 1947, after having received no word from his eldest brother, Kiichi, for several years, Ikeda was informed by the Japanese government that Kiichi had been killed in action in Burma (now Myanmar).

In August 1947, at the age of 19, Ikeda attended a Buddhist discussion meeting where he met Josei Toda, the second president of Japan's Soka Gakkai Buddhist organization. Ikeda said he found in Toda "an open and unaffected person, a man of unshakable conviction with a gift for explaining profound Buddhist concepts in logical, accessible terms." As a result of this encounter, Ikeda immediately began practicing Nichiren Buddhism and joined the Soka Gakkai. He became a charter member of the group's youth division and regarded Toda as his spiritual mentor, later stating that Toda influenced him through "the profound compassion that characterized each of his interactions."

Career

Shortly after the end of World War II, in January 1946, Ikeda gained employment with the Shobundo Printing Company in Tokyo. In March 1948, Ikeda graduated from Toyo Trade School and the following month entered the night school extension of Taisei Gakuin (present-day Tokyo Fuji University) where he majored in political science. During this time, he worked as an editor of the children's magazine Shonen Nihon (Boy's Life Japan), which was published by one of Josei Toda's companies. Over the next several years, between 1948 and 1953, Ikeda worked for various Toda-owned enterprises, including the Nihon Shogakkan publishing company, the Tokyo Construction Trust credit association, and the Okura Shoji trading company.

Youth leadership

In 1953, at the age of 25, Ikeda was appointed as one of the Soka Gakkai's youth leaders. The following year, he was appointed as director of the Soka Gakkai's public relations bureau, and later became its chief of staff.

In April 1957, a group of young Soka Gakkai members in Osaka were arrested for allegedly distributing money, cigarettes and candies to support the political campaign of a local electoral candidate (who was also a Soka Gakkai member). Ikeda was later arrested and detained in jail for two weeks, charged with allegedly overseeing these activities. Ikeda's arrest came at a time when Soka Gakkai Buddhist candidates were achieving success at both national and local levels. With the growing influence of this liberal grassroots movement, factions of the conservative political establishment initiated a series of media attacks on the Soka Gakkai, culminating in Ikeda's arrest. After a lengthy court case that lasted until 1962, Ikeda was cleared of all charges. The Soka Gakkai characterized this as a triumph over corrupt tyranny, which galvanized its movement.

Presidency

In May 1960, two years after Toda's death, Ikeda, then 32 years old, succeeded him as president of the Soka Gakkai. Soon after, Ikeda began to travel overseas to build connections between Soka Gakkai members living abroad and expand the movement globally. The expansion of the Soka Gakkai movement internationally was, in Ikeda's words, "Toda's will for the future." With his assumption of the Soka Gakkai presidency, Ikeda "continued the task begun by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi of fusing the ideas and principles of educational pragmatism with the elements of Buddhist doctrine."

While the Soka Gakkai saw its most dramatic growth after World War II under Toda's leadership, Ikeda led the international growth of the Soka Gakkai and turned it into what is considered the largest, most diverse international lay Buddhist association in the world. He reformed many of the organization's practices, including the aggressive conversion style (known as shakubuku) for which the group had become known in Japan, and improved the organization's public image, though it was sometimes still viewed with suspicion in Japan. By the 1970s, Ikeda's leadership had expanded the Soka Gakkai into an international lay Buddhist movement increasingly active in peace, cultural, and educational activities."

Soka Gakkai International

On January 26, 1975, a world peace conference was held in Guam, where Soka Gakkai representatives from 51 countries created an umbrella organization for the growing network of members around the world. This became the Soka Gakkai International (SGI). Ikeda took a leading role in the global organization's development and became the founding president of the SGI. In his address to the assembly, Ikeda encouraged the representatives to dedicate themselves to altruistic action, stating "Please devote yourselves to planting seeds of peace throughout the world."

The SGI was created in part as a new international peace movement, and its founding meeting was held in Guam in a symbolic gesture referencing Guam's history as the site of some of World War II's bloodiest battles, and proximity to Tinian Island, launching place of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

Resignation

In 1979, Ikeda resigned as president of the Soka Gakkai (in Japan), accepting responsibility for the organization's purported deviation from Nichiren Shōshū doctrines and accompanying conflict with its priesthood. Nichiren Shōshū was the Buddhist denomination with which the Soka Gakkai had been associated since its founding, but the relationship between the two organizations was often strained. Hiroshi Hojo succeeded Ikeda as Soka Gakkai president, and Ikeda remained president of the Soka Gakkai International. Ikeda was also made honorary president of the Soka Gakkai in Japan. From 1964 to 1990, Ikeda held the title of Sokoto (lay leader) among Nichiren Shoshu adherents.

Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai were excommunicated by Nichiren Shoshu on 28 November 1991 and on 11 August 1992. Following the group's excommunication, Soka Gakkai members began to describe their group as Buddhism's first Protestant movement.

Legacy

Under Ikeda's leadership, the SGI has developed as a broad-based grassroots peace movement around the world. Ikeda is credited with having fostered among SGI members an ethos of social responsibility and a strong spirit of global citizenship.

Accomplishments

Peace, Culture and Education

Ikeda has founded many global institutions for the development of peace, culture and education, including Soka University in Tokyo, Japan, and Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California; Soka kindergarten, primary and secondary schools in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Brazil and Singapore; the Victor Hugo House of Literature, in France; the International Committee of Artists for Peace in the United States; the Min-On Concert Association in Japan; the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum in Japan; the Institute of Oriental Philosophy in Japan with offices in France, Hong Hong, India, Russia and the United Kingdom; the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research in Japan and the United States; and the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue in the United States.

Since 1990, Ikeda has partnered with Rabbi Abraham Cooper and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization, to combat anti-Semitism in Japan. In a 2001 interview, Rabbi Cooper stated he was "getting nowhere after reaching out to the Japanese media about anti-Semitism in Japan. The only partners we found to help us bring our concerns to the Japanese public were people from Soka University under the leadership of Daisaku Ikeda. If you ask me who our best friend in Japan is, who 'gets it,' it is Ikeda. He was actually our first visitor to the Museum of Tolerance." Their friendship led to the joint development of a Japanese-language Holocaust exhibition The Courage to Remember, which was seen by more than two million people in Japan between 1994 and 2007. In 2015, a new version of the exhibit opened in Tokyo focusing on the bravery of Anne Frank and Chiune Sugihara.

Ikeda was an original proponent of the Earth Charter Initiative, co-founded by Mikhail Gorbachev, and Ikeda has included details of the Charter in many of his annual peace proposals since 1997. The SGI has supported the Earth Charter with production of global exhibitions including Seeds of Change in 2002 that traveled to 27 nations and Seeds of Hope in 2010, correlating with the Earth Charter-related documentary film, A Quiet Revolution, which the SGI has donated to schools and educational programs around the world.

Citizen diplomacy

Ikeda's work has been described by academics as citizen diplomacy for his contributions to diplomatic as well as intercultural ties between Japan and other countries, and more broadly among all peoples of the world. Ikeda's dialogues with scholars, politicians, and cultural figures have increased awareness and support of humanitarian and peace activities, have facilitated deeper international relationships, and generated support for SGI-sponsored work on global issues including the environment and nuclear disarmament.

Academic researchers have suggested the body of literature chronicling Ikeda’s diplomatic efforts and his more than 7,000 international dialogues provides readers with a personal education and model of citizen diplomacy and, from a scholarly view, represents “a new current in interculturalism and educational philosophy.”

In 1970, Ikeda met several times with Austrian-Japanese politician and philosopher Richard Nikolaus von Coudenhove-Kalergi, an early pioneer of the European Union. Their discussions included East-West relations and the future of peace work. Between 1971 and 1974, Ikeda conducted multiple dialogues with Arnold J. Toynbee in London and Tokyo. The major topics of their meetings were published as the book Choose Life. In 1974, Ikeda conducted a dialogue with French novelist and Minister of Cultural Affairs Andre Malraux.

In September 1974, Ikeda visited the Soviet Union and met with Premier Aleksei Kosygin. During their dialogue, Kosygin agreed with Ikeda, saying "We must abandon the very idea of war. It is meaningless. If we stop preparing for war and prepare instead for peace, we can produce food instead of armaments." He then asked Ikeda, "What is your basic ideology?" Ikeda replied, "I believe in peace, culture and education - the underlying basis of which is humanism." Kosygin said, "I have a high regard for those values. We need to realize them here in the Soviet Union as well."

In January 1975, Ikeda met with Henry Kissinger, the United States Secretary of State, to "urge the de-escalation of nuclear tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union." The same month Ikeda met with Secretary-General of the United Nations Kurt Waldheim. Ikeda presented Waldheim with a petition containing the signatures of 10,000,000 people calling for total nuclear abolition. The petition was organized by youth groups of the Soka Gakkai International and was inspired by Ikeda’s longtime anti-nuclear efforts.

Ikeda's meetings with Nelson Mandela in the 1990s led to a series of SGI-sponsored anti-apartheid lectures, a traveling exhibit, and multiple student exchange programs at the university level.

Sino-Japanese relations

Ikeda made several visits to China and met with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1974. The visits led to the establishment of cultural exchanges of art, dance and music between China and Japan and opened academic exchanges between Chinese educational institutions and Soka University. Chinese media describe Ikeda as an early proponent of normalizing diplomatic relations between China and Japan in the 1970s, citing his 1968 proposal that drew condemnation by some and the interest of others including Zhou Enlai. It was said that Zhou Enlai entrusted Ikeda with ensuring that "Sino-Japanese friendship would continue for generations to come."

Since 1975, cultural exchanges have continued between the Min-On Concert Association, founded by Ikeda, and institutions including the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. After Ikeda’s 1984 visit to China and meetings with public figures including Chinese Communist Party Leader Hu Yaobang and Deng Yingchao, academic observers estimated that Ikeda's 1968 proposal moved Japanese public sentiment to support closer diplomatic ties with China and his cultivation of educational and cultural ties helped strengthen state relations.

Accolades

International awards

Notable awards received by Ikeda include:

• United Nations: United Nations Peace Award (1983)
• United States: Rosa Parks Humanitarian Award (1993)
• United States: International Tolerance Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center (1993)
• India: Tagore Peace Award (1997)
• Philippines: Rizal International Peace Award (1998)
• China: International Literary Award for Understanding and Friendship from the China Literature Foundation and Chinese Writersʼ Association (2003)
• India: Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Outstanding Contribution in Promotion of Gandhian Values Outside India by Individuals other than Indian Citizens (2005)
• Russia: Order of Friendship of the Russian Federation (2008)
• Australia: Gold Medal for Peace with Justice from the Sydney Peace Foundation (2009)
• India: Indology Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Indic Research and Oriental Wisdom (2011)
• Philippines: Golden Heart Award from the Knights of Rizal (2012)
• Australia: Gandhi International Prize for Social Responsibility (2014)
• UAE: Mohammed bin Rashid World Peace Award (2016)

International honors

In 1999, the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta honored Ikeda with the creation of the Gandhi King Ikeda Institute for Ethics and Reconciliation. In 2001, a traveling exhibition was created titled Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace that showcases the peace activism of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Daisaku Ikeda. Also in 2001, Lawrence Carter, an ordained Baptist minister and a dean at Morehouse College in Atlanta, initiated the annual Gandhi, King, Ikeda Community Builders Prize as a way of extolling individuals whose actions for peace transcend cultural, national and philosophical boundaries. The 2015 Gandhi King Ikeda award was bestowed upon Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

In 2000, the city of Londrina, Brazil honored Ikeda by naming a 300-acre nature reserve in his name. The Dr. Daisaku Ikeda Ecological Park is open to the public and its land, waterways, fauna and wildlife are protected by Brazil’s Federal Conservation Law.

In 2014, the City of Chicago named a section of Wabash Avenue in downtown Chicago "Daisaku Ikeda Way," with the Chicago City Council measure passing unanimously, 49 to 0.

In both 2015 and 2016, the director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo announced that Daisaku Ikeda had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, as confirmed by a Nobel Peace Laureate.

The United States House of Representatives and individual states including Georgia, Missouri,and Illinois have passed resolutions honoring the service and dedication of Daisaku Ikeda as one "who has dedicated his entire life to building peace and promoting human rights through education and cultural exchange with deep conviction in the shared humanity of our entire global family." The state of Missouri praised Ikeda and his value of "education and culture as the prerequisites for the creation of true peace in which the dignity and fundamental rights of all people are respected."

The Club of Rome has named Ikeda an honorary member, and Ikeda has received more than 760 honorary citizenships from cities and municipalities around the world.

Academic honors

In November 2010, the University of Massachusetts Boston bestowed an honorary doctorate upon Ikeda, marking the 300th academic honor he had received since receipt of his first honorary doctorate in 1975 from Moscow State University. In his message of appreciation to the University of Massachusetts Boston, Ikeda said "The academic honors I have accepted have all been on behalf of the members of SGI around the world. This is recognition of their multifaceted contributions. As a private citizen, I will redouble my efforts to promote peace, cultural exchange and education."

Number	Country	Institution	Title conferred	Place and date
1	USSR	Moscow State University	honorary doctorate	May 1975
2	Peru	National University of San Marcos	hon. professorship	April 1981
3	Bulgaria	Sofia University	honorary doctorate	May 1981
4	China	Peking University	honorary professorship	June 1984
5	China	Fudan University	honorary professorship	June 1984
6	Dominican Republic	Autonomous University of Santo Domingo	honorary professorship	February 1987
7	Argentina	University of Buenos Aires	honorary doctorate	March 1990
8	Mexico	University of Guanajuato	honorary doctorate (Maestro Emérito)	March 1990
9	China	Wuhan University	honorary professorship	November 1990
10	Macau	University of Macau	honorary professorship	January 1991
11	Philippines	University of the Philippines	honorary doctorate of law	April 1991
12	Argentina	University of Palermo	honorary doctorate	May 1991
13	Hong Kong	Chinese University of Hong Kong	distinguished visiting professor	January 1992
14	Turkey	Ankara University	honorary doctorate of social science	June 1992
15	China	Chinese Academy of Social Sciences	honorary research professor	October 1992
16	Kenya	University of Nairobi	honorary doctorate of letters	December 1992
17	Brazil	Federal University of Rio de Janeiro	honorary doctorate	February 1993
18	Argentina	National University of Lomas de Zamora	honorary doctorate	February 1993
19	Argentina	National University of Lomas de Zamora	honorary professorship, faculty of law	February 1993
20	Argentina	National University of Córdoba	honorary professorship	February 1993
21	Paraguay	National University of Asunción	honorary doctorate of philosophy	February 1993
22	Brazil	University of São Paulo	honorary visiting professor	February 1993
23	Brazil	Federal University of Paraná	honorary doctorate	March 1993
24	Bolivia	Del Valle University	honorary doctorate	March 1993
25	China	Shenzhen University	honorary professorship	November 1993
26	China	Xinjian Uygur Autonomous Region Museum	honorary professorship	January 1994
27	Russia	International University in Moscow	honorary doctorate	May 1994
28	Italy	University of Bologna	honorary doctorate	June 1994
29	United Kingdom	University of Glasgow	honorary doctorate	June 1994
30	China	Xinjiang University	honorary professorship	August 1994
31	China	Xiamen University	honorary professorship	November 1994
32	South Africa	University of the North	honorary doctorate of education	September 1995
33	Nepal	Tribhuvan University	honorary doctorate of letters	November 1995
34	Macau	University of Macau	honorary doctorate of social sciences	November 1995
35	Hong Kong	University of Hong Kong	honorary doctorate of letters	March 1996
36	China	Xinjiang University	honorary president	April 1996
37	United States	University of Denver	honorary doctorate of education	June 1996
38	Cuba	University of Havana	honorary doctorate of letters	June 1996
39	Ghana	University of Ghana	honorary doctorate of law	August 1996
40	Russia	Far Eastern State University	honorary doctorate of international education	November 1996
41	China	Zhongshan (Sun Yat-Sen) University	honorary professorship	November 1996
42	China	Jilin University	honorary professorship	February 1997
43	Philippines	De La Salle University	honorary doctorate of humane letters (international education)	March 1997
44	Sri Lanka	University of Kelaniya	honorary doctorate of letters	May 1997
45	China	Shanghai University	honorary professorship	May 1997
46	China	Inner Mongolia University	honorary professorship	October 1997
47	Mongolia	National University of Mongolia	honorary doctorate of humanities	November 1997
48	Philippines	University of the City of Manila	honorary doctorate of humanities	February 1998
49	Argentina	Universidad de Morón	honorary doctorate	March 1998
50	Russia	Institute for High Energy Physics	honorary doctorate	April 1998
51	Brazil	Rio de Janeiro State University	honorary doctorate	April 1998
52	Republic of Korea	Kyung Hee University	honorary doctorate of philosophy	May 1998
53	Republic of Korea	Chung Cheong College	honorary professorship	July 1998
54	Peru	Ricardo Palma University	honorary doctorate	July 1998
55	Peru	Association of Doctors of Education	honorary doctorate	July 1998
56	China	Yanbian University	honorary professorship	November 1998
57	China	Nankai University	honorary professorship	November 1998
58	Brazil	Northern Paraná University	honorary doctorate	November 1998
59	India	University of Delhi	honorary doctorate of letters	December 1998
60	Argentina	University of Flores	honorary doctorate	January 1999
61	China	Sichuan University	honorary professorship	April 1999
62	Peru	Federico Villarreal National University	honorary doctorate	April 1999
63	Republic of Korea	Cheju National University	honorary doctorate of Korean language and literature	May 1999
64	Bolivia	University of Santa Cruz de la Sierra	honorary doctorate	June 1999
65	China	Northeastern University	honorary professorship	July 1999
66	Kyrgyzstan	Institute of Oriental Languages and Cultures, Kyrgyz State Pedagogical University	honorary professorship	August 1999
67	Peru	National University of Central Peru	honorary doctorate	September 1999
68	China	Hunan Normal University	honorary professorship	September 1999
69	Argentina	National University of Lomas de Zamora	honorary professorship, faculty of social sciences	October 1999
70	Argentina	National University of Comahue	honorary doctorate	October 1999
71	China	Nanjing University	honorary professorship	December 1999
72	Russia	St. Petersburg State University	honorary doctorate	January 2000
73	United States	University of Delaware	honorary doctorate of humane letters	Tokyo, 16 January 2000
74	United States	Queens College, City University of New York	honorary doctorate of humane letters	January 2000
75	Guam (United States)	University of Guam	honorary doctorate of humane letters	January 2000
76	Philippines	Angeles University Foundation	honorary doctorate of humanities	February 2000
77	China	Central University for Nationalities	honorary professorship	February 2000
78	China	Guangdong University of Foreign Studies	honorary professorship	February 2000
79	Argentina	National University of Nordeste	honorary doctorate	February 2000
80	China	Northeast Normal University	honorary doctorate	March 2000
81	Sakha Republic (Russia)	Yakutsk State University	honorary professorship	March 2000
82	El Salvador	Latin American Technical University	honorary doctorate	April 2000
83	China	Inner Mongolia Art Academy	preeminent honorary professor	April 2000
84	India	Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnath Institute of Sanskrit Learning	honorary doctorate (Mahamahopadhyaya)	April 2000
85	Mongolia	Mongolian Institute of Literature and Social Work	honorary rector	May 2000
86	China	Beijing Administrative College	honorary professorship	May 2000
87	China	Yunnan University	honorary professorship	June 2000
88	China	South China Normal University	honorary professorship	August 2000
89	India	Bundelkhand University	honorary doctorate of letters	August 2000
90	Venezuela	University of Zulia	honorary doctorate	September 2000
91	Panama	University of Panama	honorary doctorate	September 2000
92	India	Bundelkhand University	honorary lifetime professor in the Ambedhar School of Social Sciences	October 2000
93	Thailand	Siam University	honorary doctorate of public administration	November 2000
94	Tonga	Tonga Institute of Education and Tong Tonga Institute of Schinece and Technology	honorary professorship of education	November 2000
95	Australia	University of Sydney	honorary doctorate of letters	24 November 2000
96	Malaysia	Putra University, Malaysia	honorary doctorate of letters	November 2000
97	Hong Kong	Chinese University of Hong Kong	honorary doctorate of social science	7 December 2000
98	Mongolia	Mongolian University of Arts and Culture	honorary doctorate	December 2000
99	India	Purvanchal University	honorary doctorate of letters	January 2001
100	China	Guangdong Province Academy of Social Sciences	honorary professorship	February 2001
101	China	Northwest University	honorary professorship	April 2001
102	China	Anhui University	honorary professorship	April 2001
103	Puerto Rico	Carlos Albizu University	honorary doctorate of humane letters in behavioral sciences	May 2001
104	Mongolia	Kharakhorum University	honorary doctorate	May 2001
105	China	Fujian Normal University	honorary professorship	June 2001
106	China	Huaqiao University	honorary professorship	June 2001
107	China	Jinan University	honorary professorship	July 2001
108	Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (United States)	Northern Marianas College	honorary professorship	July 2001
109	China	Soochow University	honorary professorship	October 2001
110	China	Liaoning Normal University	honorary professorship	October 2001
111	Philippines	University of Southern Philippines Foundation	honorary doctorate of humanities	October 2001
112	China	Guangzhou University	honorary professorship	November 2001
113	Republic of Korea	Kyongju University	honorary professorship	December 2001
114	Republic of Korea	Changwon National University	honorary doctorate of education	December 2001
115	Kazakhstan	International Kazakh-Turkish University	honorary professorship	December 2001
116	Dominican Republic	Santiago Technical University	honorary doctorate	February 2002
117	Uzbekistan	National Institute of Arts and Design (Uzbekistan)	honorary professorship	February 2002
118	China	Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences	senior research professor	March 2002
119	Philippines	Gregorio Araneta University Foundation	honorary doctorate of humanities	March 2002
120	Cambodia	Royal University of Phnom Penh	honorary professorship	March 2002
121	China	Liaoning University	honorary professorship	April 2002
122	United States	Morehouse College	honorary doctorate of humane letters	April 2002
123	China	Qingdao University	honorary professorship	April 2002
124	India	Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University	honorary doctorate of letters	April 2002
125	Kenya	Kenyatta University	honorary doctorate of humane letters	May 2002
126	China	Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences	honorary professorship	May 2002
127	Russia	Moscow State University	honorary professorship	June 2002
128	China	Nanjing Normal University	honorary professorship	June 2002
129	Republic of Korea	Sorabol College	honorary professorship	June 2002
130	India	Himachal Pradesh University	honorary doctorate of literature	August 2002
131	China	Renmin University of China	honorary professorship	September 2002
132	China	University of Science and Technology of China	honorary professorship	October 2002
133	China	Zhejiang University	honorary professorship	November 2002
134	Mongolia	Shihihutung Law School	honorary doctorate	November 2002
135	Ukraine	Kiev National University of Trade and Economics	honorary doctorate	November 2002
136	Republic of Korea	Dong-A University	honorary doctorate of philosophy	December 2002
137	China	Shanghai International Studies University	honorary professorship	December 2002
138	China	Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences	honorary professorship	December 2002
139	India	Bharathidasan University	honorary doctorate of literature	January 2003
140	Peru	National University of Piura	honorary doctorate	February 2003
141	Taiwan	Chinese Culture University	honorary doctorate of philosophy	March 2003
142	China	Dalian University of Foreign Languages	honorary professorship	April 2003
143	Paraguay	Columbia University of Paraguay	honorary doctorate of sociology	April 2003
144	Peru	Jorge Basadre Grohmann National University	honorary doctorate	September 2003
145	China	Northwest Normal University	honorary professorship	October 2003
146	Republic of Korea	Gwangju Women's University	honorary professorship	October 2003
147	China	Shanghai Jiao Tong University	honorary professorship	October 2003
148	United States	Chapman University	honorary doctorate of humane letters	December 2003
149	China	Zhaoqing University	honorary professorship	December 2003
150	Sakha Republic (Russia)	Arctic State Institute of Culture and Arts	honorary professorship	January 2004
151	India	Rabindra Bharati University	honorary doctorate of literature	February 2004
152	United States	Mineral Area College	honorary professorship of humanities	February 2004
153	China	National Prosecuters College	honorary professorship	March 2004
154	Taiwan	National Pingtung University	honorary doctorate of agricultural sciences	March 2004
155	Republic of Buryatia (Russia)	Buryat State University	honorary professorship	April 2004
156	Brazil	Londrina State University	honorary doctorate	April 2004
157	Bolivia	University of San Francisco Xavier of Chuquisaca	honorary doctorate	May 2004
158	China	China University of Petroleum	honorary professorship	May 2004
159	Philippines	Capitol University	honorary doctorate of humanities	June 2004
160	China	Sanda University	honorary professorship	June 2004
161	Jordan	University of Jordan	honorary doctorate of humane letters	July 2004
162	Mexico	University of Guadalajara	honorary doctorate	September 2004
163	China	Fujian Academy of Social Sciences	honorary professorship	September 2004
164	China	Changchun University	honorary professorship	October 2004
165	China	Qufu Normal University	honorary professorship	October 2004
166	Kyrgyzstan	Osh State University	honorary professorship	November 2004
167	Republic of Korea	Paekche Institute of the Arts	honorary professorship	November 2004
168	Mongolia	Otgontenger University	honorary doctorate	December 2004
169	Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (United States)	Northern Marianas College	honorary president	January 2005
170	Peru	Enrique Guzman y Valle National University of Education	honorary doctorate	January 2005
171	Belarus	Minsk State Linguistic University	honorary professorship	February 2005
172	Philippines	Batangas State University	honorary doctorate of pedagogy	March 2005
173	China	Shanghai University of Finance and Economics	professor emeritus of humanities	April 2005
174	Paraguay	National University of Itapua	honorary doctorate	April 2005
175	China	Beijing Language and Culture University	honorary professorship	May 2005
176	Brazil	Cornélio Procópio College of Philosophy, Science, and Letters	honorary doctorate	May 2005
177	China	Huazhong Normal University	honorary professorship	June 2005
178	China	Guangxi Normal University	honorary professorship	July 2005
179	Mongolia	Mongolian Academy of Sciences Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Law	honorary professorship, philosophy	September 2005
180	Vietnam	Vietnam National University, Hanoi	honorary doctorate	September 2005
181	China	East China University of Science and Technology	honorary professorship	October 2005
182	Serbia and Montenegro	Braca Karic University	honorary doctorate	October 2005
183	Russia	Academy of Security, Defense, and Law Enforcement	honorary professorship	December 2005
184	India	Symbiosis International Educational Centre (Deemed University)	honorary doctorate of literature	December 2005
185	Russia	Ural State University	honorary doctorate	January 2006
186	Laos	National University of Laos	honorary professorship of humanities	February 2006
187	Philippines	Pampanga Agricultural College	honorary doctorate of humanities	March 2006
188	China	Hunan University	honorary professorship	April 2006
189	Ukraine	National Technical University of Ukraine "KPI"	honorary doctorate	April 2006
190	China	East China Normal University	honorary professorship	May 2006
191	China	Nanjing Arts Institute	honorary professorship	May 2006
192	India	Visva-Bharati	honorary doctorate of literature	May 2006
193	China	China Southwest University of Political Science and Law	honorary professorship	June 2006
194	United States	Southern Illinois University Carbondale	honorary doctorate of humane letters	June 2006
195	United States	Los Angeles Southwest College	honorary professorship	June 2006
196	China	Shaoguan University	honorary professorship	June 2006
197	Republic of Korea	Dong Shin University	honorary doctorate of public administration	June 2006
198	Thailand	Maejo University	honorary doctorate of administration	July 2006
199	Brazil	Catholic College of Economic Science of Bahia	honorary doctorate	September 2006
200	China	Beijing Normal University	honorary professorship	October 2006
201	Philippines	University of Rizal System	honorary doctorate of humanities	24 November 2006
202	China	Dalian University of Technology	honorary professorship	8 December 2006
203	Republic of Korea	Dongju College	honorary professorship	6 February 2007
204	China	Guizhou University	honorary professorship	26 February 2007
205	Russia	Baikal National University of Economics and Law	honorary professorship	13 March 2007
206	Venezuela	Rafael Belloso Chacin University	honorary doctorate	20 March 2007
207	Venezuela	Santa María University	honorary doctorate of law	20 March 2007
208	Italy	University of Palermo	honorary doctorate of communication sciences	23 March 2007
209	Brazil	Brazilian Academy of Philosophy	honorary doctorate	2 April 2007
210	United States	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	honorary doctorate of humane letters	17 April 2007
211	China	Harbin Engineering University	honorary professorship	18 April 2007
212	Brazil	Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul	honorary doctorate	29 April 2007
213	China	Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences	honorary professorship	5 May 2007
214	Taiwan	Southern Taiwan University of Technology	honorary doctorate of engineering	28 May 2007
215	Russia	Russian State University for the Humanities	honorary doctorate	31 May 2007
216	Peru	National University of El Santa	honorary doctorate	23 June 2007
217	Sakha Republic (Russia)	The Yakut State Agricultural Academy	honorary professorship	4 July 2007
218	Russia	Far Eastern State Technical University	honorary professorship	9 July 2007
219	Philippines	University of Southeastern Philippines	honorary doctorate of education	13 September 2007
220	China	Shaanxi Normal University	honorary professorship	6 October 2007
221	Mexico	University of Humanistic Integration	honorary doctorate of human sciences	8 October 2007
222	Brazil	Ingá University (UNINGÁ)	honorary professorship	10 October 2007
223	China	China Youth University for Political Sciences	honorary professorship	21 October 2007
224	Mongolia	Mongolian State University of Education	honorary doctorate	24 October 2007
225	China	Wenzhou Medical College	honorary professorship	30 November 2007
226	China	Shanghai Normal University	honorary professorship	17 December 2007
227	Dominican Republic	Autonomous University of Santo Domingo	honorary doctorate	19 January 2008
228	Taiwan	National Yunlin University of Science and Technology	honorary doctorate of philosophy in management	21 January 2008
229	Philippines	Laguna State Polytechnic University	honorary doctorate of philosophy in humanities	26 January 2008
230	China	Hunan University of Science and Technology	honorary professorship	1 March 2008
231	Kyrgyz Republic	I. Arabaev Kyrgyz State University	honorary doctorate	21 March 2008
232	China	Jiaying University	honorary professorship	31 March 2008
233	Russia	Tula Lev Tolstoy State Pedagogical University	honorary professorship	2 April 2008
234	China	Hebei University	honorary professorship	13 April 2008
235	China	Yan'a University	honorary professorship	4 May 2008
236	China	Eastern Liaoning University	lifetime honorary professorship	30 May 2008
237	China	Changchun University of Technology	honorary professorship	2 June 2008
238	Brazil	Centro Universitário de Goiás	honorary doctorate	17 June 2008
239	Brazil	Centro Universitário Ítalo Brasileiro	honorary doctorate	20 June 2008
240	Philippines	Benguet State University	honorary doctorate of humanities	10 July 2008
241	Taiwan	Chungyu Institute of Technology	honorary professorship	22 July 2008
242	Taiwan	Tainan University of Technology	honorary professorship	24 July 2008
243	Philippines	Ifugao State College of Agriculture and Forestry	hon doc of education in ancient learning, culture and world peace	Sep 2008
244	Philippines	Universidad de Manila	hon doc of humanities	Oct 2008
245	Mongolia	Mongolian University of Science and Technology	hon doc of humanities	Oct 2008
246	China	Dalian University	hon prof	Dec 2008
247	Uzbekistan	Uzbekistan State Institute of Arts	hon prof	Jan 2009
248	Malaysia	Open University Malaysia	hon doc of arts (humanities)	Feb 2009
249	Santa Cruz, Bolivia	University of Aquino-Bolivia (Udabol)	hon doc	Mar 2009
250	Denmark	University College South Denmark	honorary doctorate	21 March 2009
251	Republic of Korea	Korea Maritime University	University Professor	2 April 2009
252	Kyrgyzstan	Issyk-Kul State University	hon prof	Apr 2009
253	China	Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University	hon prof	Apr 2009
254	China	Henan Normal University	hon prof	Apr 2009
255	Northern Ireland, UK	Queen's University Belfast	hon doc of laws	May 2009
256	China	Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics	hon prof	May 2009
257	Philippines	Southern Luzon State University	hon doc of humanities	Jun 2009
258	Brazil	Federal University of Rondônia	hon doc	Jul 2009
259	Republic of Korea	Hongik University	hon doc of literature	Sep 2009
260	Macau, China	Asia International Open University (Macau)	honorary doctorate of philosophy	Sep 2009
261	Brazil	Maranhão School of Government	honorary professorship	Sep 2009
262	Brazil	Silva e Souza Integrated College	honorary doctorate of architecture and urban engineering	Sep 2009
263	Indonesia	Universitas Indonesia	Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy and Peace	Soka University, 10 October 2009
264	China	Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering	hon prof	Oct 2009
265	China	Dalian Polytechnic University	emeritus prof	Oct 2009
266	Sakha Republic, Russia	Yakutsk Teacher-training College No.1	hon prof	Oct 2009
267	China	Southwest Jiaotong University	hon prof	Nov 2009
268	China	Xi'an University of Technology	hon prof	Nov 2009
269	China	Ningxia University	hon lifetime prof	Nov 2009
270	Taiwan	Yu Da University	hon prof	Dec 2009
271	Mexico	Enrique Díaz de León University	hon doc	Dec 2009
272	China	Xi'an Peihua University	hon prof	Dec 2009
273	Guam, USA	Guam Community College	hon prof	Jan 2010
274	China	Anhui University of Science and Technology	hon prof	Jan 2010
275	Uzbekistan	Institute of Fine Arts, Uzbeki Academy of Sciences	hon doc	Feb 2010
276	China	Xi'an International University	hon prof	Feb 2010
277	China	Guangdong University of Business Studies	hon prof	Mar 2010
278	Aragua, Venezuela	Bicentennial University of Aragua	hon doc of education	Mar 2010
279	Aragua, Venezuela	Bicentennial University of Aragua	hon prof	Mar 2010
280	China	Xi'an Jiaotong University	hon prof	Mar 2010
281	Philippines	Ramon Magsaysay Technological University	centennial hon prof	Mar 2010
282	Armenia	Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts and Artists	honorary doctorate	Japan, 2 April 2010
283	Sichuan, China	Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences	hon prof	Apr 2010
284	Xinjiang, China	Xinjiang Medical University	hon prof	Apr 2010
285	Guangxi, China	Guangxi Arts Institute	lifetime hon prof	Apr 2010
286	Zhejiang, China	Shaoxing University	hon prof	Apr 2010
287	Canada	Université Laval	honorary doctorate of education	4 May 2010
288	Beijing, China	Tsinghua University	hon prof	May 2010
289	Beijing, China	Beijing City University	hon prof	May 2010
290	Zhejiang, China	Ningbo University	hon prof	June 2010
291	Zhejiang, China	Zhejiang Ocean University	hon prof	June 2010
292	Virginia, USA	George Mason University	hon doc of humane letters	July 2010
293	New Taipei, Taiwan	National Taiwan University of Arts	hon prof	July 2010
294	Kaohsiung, Taiwan	National University of Kaohsiung	hon prof	July 2010
295	Malaysia	University of Malaya	honorary doctorate of humanities	2 August 2010
296	Osh, Kyrgyzstan	Osh Humanitarian Pedagogical Institute	hon prof	August 2010
297	Osh, Kyrgyzstan	Osh Agricultural Institute	hon prof	August 2010
298	Chile	Universidad Pedro de Valdivia	honorary doctorate	Soka University, 30 August 2010
299	Philippines	University of Southern Mindanao	honorary doctorate of humanities	9 October 2010
300	United States	University of Massachusetts Boston	honorary degree	Shinjuku, Tokyo, 18 November 2010
301	Amazonas, Brazil	Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Amazonas	hon doc	November 2010
302	Liaoning, China	Dalian Maritime University	hon prof	December 2010
303	São_Paulo, Brazil	São Paulo Metropolitan University	hon prof	December 2010
304	Mato Grosso, Brazil	Federal University of Mato Grosso	hon doc	December 2010
305	Yunlin County, Taiwan	National Formosa University	hon doc	December 2010
306	South Chungcheong, Republic of Korea	Konyang University	hon doc of business administration	December 2010
307	Macau	Macao Polytechnic Institute	hon prof	January 2011
308	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan	Kyrgyz-Russian Academy of Education	hon prof	March 2011
309	Taipa, Macau	Macau University of Science and Technology	hon prof	May 2011
310	Hainan, China	Hainan Normal University	hon prof	May 2011
311	North Chungcheong, Republic of Korea	Chungju National University	hon doc of business administration	July 2011
312	Pangasinan, Philippines	Pangasinan State University	hon doc of humanities	July 2011
313	Busan, Republic of Korea	Pukyong National University	hon doc of international and area studies	September 2011
314	Lusaka, Zambia	University of Zambia	hon doc of laws	September 2011
315	Nueva Ecija, Philippines	Central Luzon State University	hon lifetime prof	October 2011
316	Jiangxi, China	Jinggangshan University	hon prof	October 2011
317	UK	University of Buckingham	Honorary Doctorate of Literature	25 October 2011
318	China	Jimei University	Honorary Professor	9 November 2011
319	Moscow, Russia	Russian State University of Trade and Economics	hon doc	November 2011
320	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	Termez State University	hon prof	December 2011
321	Beijing, China	Central University of Finance and Economics	hon prof	January 2012
322	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan	Bishkek Humanities University	hon doc	March 2012
323	Bataan, Philippines	Bataan Peninsula State University	hon doc of humanities	March 2012
324	Santa Cruz, Bolivia	Private Technological University of Santa Cruz (Utepsa)	hon doc	March 2012
325	Taipei, Taiwan	Taipei College of Maritime Technology	hon prof	April 2012
326	Lima, Peru	Technological University of Peru	hon doc	May 2012
327	Lima, Peru	Technological University of Peru	professor emeritus, Faculty of Law, Political Science and International Relations	May 2012
328	Guizhou, China	Guizhou Normal University	hon prof	May 2012
329	Taipei, Taiwan	National Taiwan Normal University	hon prof, College of Arts	June 2012
330	Liaoning, China	Bohai University	hon prof	June 2012
331	Ontario, Canada	University of Guelph	hon doc of laws	September 2012
332	Paraná, Brazil	Dom Bosco College of Higher Education	hon doc	September 2012
333	Almaty, Kazakhstan	Al-Farabi Kazakh National University	hon prof	October 2012
334	Táchira, Venezuela	National Experimental University of Táchira	hon doc	November 2012
335	Pando, Bolivia	Amazonian University of Pando	hon doc	February 2013
336	Osh, Kyrgyzstan	Kyrgyz-Chinese Humanitarian Economic Institute	hon prof	February 2013
337	Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines	Nueva Vizcaya State University	hon doc of humanities	March 2013
338	South Africa	University of KwaZulu-Natal	Doctor of Social Science honoris causa	Apr 2013
339	Bangkok, Thailand	Thammasat University	hon doc of philosophy	August 2013
340	Armenia	Yerevan State University	hon doc	September 2013
341	Aklan, Philippines	Aklan State University	hon doc of humanities	October 2013
342	Liaoning, China	Dalian Art College	hon prof	October 2013
343	Peru	Universidad Peruana de las Americas/Peruvian University of the Americas	hon doc	November 2013
344	Ulan Bator, Mongolia	University of the Humanities	hon doc of humanities	November 2013
345	Moscow, Russia	Pushkin State Russian Language Institute	hon doc	November 2013
346	Córdoba, Argentina	National University of Villa María	hon prof extraordinary	February 2014
347	Jharkhand, India	Satyendra Narayan Sinha Institute of Business Management	hon prof	March 2014
348	Isabel, Philippines	Isabela State University	hon doc of humanities	April 2014
349	Tianjin, China	Tianjin Foreign Studies University	hon prof	May 2014
350	Lima, Peru	National University of Engineering	hon doc	May 2014
351	Heilongjiang, China	Harbin Normal University	hon prof	July 2014
352	Sakha Republic, Russia	Yakutsk Teacher-training College	hon prof	September 2014
353	Manila, The Philippines	University of the East	hon doc of humanities	September 2014

Personal life

Ikeda lives in Tokyo with his wife, Kaneko Ikeda (née Kaneko Shiraki, born 1932), whom he married on 3 May 1952. The couple have had three sons, Hiromasa (born 1953; vice president of Soka Gakkai), Shirohisa (1955-1984), and Takahiro (born 1958).

Public image

American Civil Rights pioneer Rosa Parks chose as her favorite photograph an image from her first meeting with Ikeda in 1993. She explained:

I can’t think of a more important moment in my life... said this meeting, between the two of us, was very special for him. It was for me, too. In his concern for human rights, Dr. Ikeda is ahead of many people in this century. He is a calm spirit, a humble man, a man of great spiritual enlightenment. We met for about an hour and talked about my life and challenges concerning the youth in our countries... Our meeting can serve as a model for anyone. So the photograph of our first meeting is very important because it is history in the making.

Ikeda’s work through 2016 has earned him multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominations, and he is considered by many scholars to be “the natural successor to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as a global spiritual leader." The Chairman of India’s Council of Gandhian Studies, Professor N. Radhakrishnan, has hailed Ikeda as “one of the most profound thinkers of our time.”

Yet, in 1995, Michelle Magee wrote a critical article in the San Francisco Chronicle in which she stated that the Soka Gakkai in Japan had been accused of "heavy-handed fund raising and proselytizing, as well as intimidating its foes and trying to grab political power." The article quoted Takashi Shokei, a professor at Meisei University, who called Ikeda "a power-hungry individual who intends to take control of the government and make Soka Gakkai the national religion."

In 1996, Los Angeles Times writer Teresa Watanabe described Ikeda as a "puzzle of conflicting perceptions," with her interview subjects expressing vastly differing opinions of him, ranging from "a democrat," "a man of deep learning" and "an inspired teacher," to "a despot," "a threat to democracy" and "Japan's most powerful man." Watanabe reported that "Japanese tabloid coverage has affected his public image and blurred the lines between suspicion and fact, imagination and reality..." concluding that "Nevertheless, there is no question that Ikeda spreads goodwill - and transforms stereotypes."

In 2003, Dr. Lawrence Carter, Dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College, praised Ikeda as a Japanese social reformer, stating: Controversy is an inevitable partner of greatness. No one who challenges the established order is free of it. Gandhi had his detractors, as did Dr. King, and Dr. Ikeda is no exception. Controversy camouflages the intense resistance of entrenched authority to conceding their special status and privilege. Insults are the weapons of the morally weak; slander is the tool of the spiritually bereft. Controversy is testament to the noble work of these three individuals (Gandhi, King and Ikeda) in their respective societies."

Books

Ikeda is a prolific writer, peace activist and interpreter of Nichiren Buddhism. His interests in photography, art, philosophy, poetry and music are reflected in his published works. In his essay collections and dialogues with political, cultural, and educational figures he discusses, among other topics: the transformative value of religion, the universal sanctity of life, social responsibility, and sustainable progress and development.

The 1976 publication of Choose Life: A Dialogue (in Japanese, Nijusseiki e no taiga) is the published record of dialogues and correspondences that began in 1971 between Ikeda and British historian Arnold J. Toynbee about the "convergence of East and West" on contemporary as well as perennial topics ranging from the human condition to the role of religion and the future of human civilization. Toynbee’s 12-volume A Study of History had been translated into Japanese, which along with his lecture tours and periodical articles about social, moral and religious issues gained him popularity in Japan. To an expat's letter critical of Toynbee's association with Ikeda and Soka Gakkai, Toynbee wrote back: “I agree with Soka Gakkai on religion as the most important thing in human life, and on opposition to militarism and war." To another letter critical of Ikeda, Toynbee responded: “Mr. Ikeda’s personality is strong and dynamic and such characters are often controversial. My own feeling for Mr. Ikeda is one of great respect and sympathy.” As of 2012, the book had been translated and published in twenty-six languages.

Ikeda’s children’s stories are “widely read and acclaimed,” according to The Hindu, which reported that an anime series of 14 of the stories was to be shown on the National Geographic Channel. In the Philippines, DVD sets of 17 of the animated stories were donated by Anak TV to a large school, as part of a nationwide literacy effort.

In 2003, Japan's largest English-language newspaper, The Japan Times, began carrying periodic essays by Ikeda on global issues including peacebuilding, nuclear disarmament, and compassion. As of 2015, The Japan Times had published 26 essays by Ikeda, 15 of which were also published in a bilingual Japanese-English book titled "Embracing the Future."

The Human Revolution

Ikeda's most well-known publication is the novel The Human Revolution (Ningen Kakumei), which was serialized in the Soka Gakkai's daily newspaper, the Seikyo Shimbun. The book's original English-edition foreword was written by British philosopher and historian Arnold J. Toynbee. The Human Revolution has been translated into English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Dutch and has sold over seven millions copies worldwide. In the preface to The Human Revolution, the author describes the book as a "novelized biography of my mentor, Josei Toda." The author's official website, daisakuikeda.org, describes the book as an "historical novel portrays the development of the Soka Gakkai in Japan, from its rebirth in the post-World War II era to the last years of its second president, Josei Toda." In the preface to the 2004 edition, the author stated the narrative was edited to bring it in line with recent developments in the history of Nichiren Buddhism, and that he hoped "such revisions will help readers to better appreciate the original message of the book."

Selected works by Ikeda

• A Dialogue Between East and West: Looking to a Human Revolution (Echoes and Reflections: The Selected Works of Daisaku Ikeda) with Ricardo Diez-Hochleitner, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2008; ISBN 978-1845116002 (Hardback), ISBN 978-1845116002 (Paperback)
• A Lifelong Quest for Peace with Linus Pauling (May 2000), Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 1st edition, ISBN 978-0867202786 (Hardback), ISBN 0-86720-277-7 (Paperback); London and New York: I. B. Tauris, Reprint edition 2008; ISBN 978-1845118891
• A Passage to Peace: Global Solutions from East and West with Nur Yalman, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2009; ISBN 9781845119225 (Hardback), ISBN 9781845119232 (Paperback)
• A Quest for Global Peace: Rotblat and Ikeda on War, Ethics, and the Nuclear Threat with Joseph Rotblat, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2006; ISBN 978-1845112790
• A Youthful Diary: One Man's Journey from the Beginning of Faith to Worldwide Leadership for Peace, Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 2006; ISBN 978-1932911190
• America Will Be!: Conversations on Hope, Freedom, and Democracy, with Vincent Harding, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Dialogue Path Press, 2013; ISBN 978-1887917100
• Before It Is Too Late with Aurelio Peccei, (1985), Kodansha America, 1st edition, ISBN 978-0870117008; London and New York: I. B. Tauris Reprint edition, 2008; ISBN 978-1845118884
• Buddhism: A Way of Values" with Lokesh Chandra, New Delhi: Eternal Ganges Press, 2009; ISBN 978-81-907191-2-4
• Buddhism: the First Millennium, (1977), Kodansha International, ISBN 9780870113215 (Hardback); Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, Reprint edition, 2009; ISBN 978-0977924530
• Choose Hope: Your Role in Waging Peace in the Nuclear Age with David Krieger, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2002; ISBN 0-967-46976-7
• Choose Life: A Dialogue with Arnold J. Toynbee, Richard L. Gage (Editor), (1976), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0192152589; London and New York: I. B. Tauris, Reprint edition, 2008; ISBN 978-1845115951
• Choose Peace: A Dialogue Between Johan Galtung and Daisaku Ikeda with Johan Galtung, London: Pluto Press, 1999; ISBN 978-0745310404
• Compassionate Light in Asia with Jin Yong, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2013; ISBN 978-1848851986
• Courage to Dream: On Rights, Values and Freedom with Vincent Harding, London and New York: I.B. Tauris, 2015; ISBN 978-1784534752
• Creating Waldens: An East-West Conversation on the American Renaissance with Ronald A. Bosco and Joel Myerson, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Dialogue Path Press, 2009; ISBN 978-1887917070
• Dawn After Dark with René Huyghe, (1991), Weatherhill, ISBN 9780834802384; London and New York: I. B. Tauris, Reprint edition, 2008; ISBN 978-1845115968
• Dialogue of World Citizens with Norman Cousins, (tentative translation from Japanese), Sekai shimin no taiwa, 世界市民の対話, Paperback edition, Tokyo, Japan: Seikyo Shimbunsha, 2000; ISBN 978-4412010772
• Discussions on Youth, Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 2010; ISBN 978-1-932911-93-0
• Embracing the Future, Tokyo: The Japan Times, 2008; ISBN 978-4-7890-1316-1
• Fighting for Peace, Berkeley, California: Creative Arts Book Company, 2004; ISBN 0-88739-618-6
• For the Sake of Peace: A Buddhist Perspective for the 21st Century, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2001; ISBN 978-0967469720
• Glass Children and Other Essays, Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1979; ISBN 0-87011-375-5
• Global Civilization: A Buddhist-Islamic Dialogue With Majid Tehranian, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2008; ISBN 978-1860648106
• Human Rights on the 21st Century with Austregesilo de Athayde, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2009; ISBN 978-1845119881
• Human Values in a Changing World: A Dialogue on the Social Role of Religion, with Bryan Wilson. Reprint edition. London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2008; ISBN 978-1845115975
• Humanity at the Crossroads: An Intercultural Dialogue with Karan Singh, New Delhi: Oxford University Press India, 1988; ISBN 978-0195622157
• Into Full Flower: Making Peace Cultures Happen with Elise Boulding, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Dialogue Path Press, 2010; ISBN 978-1887917087
• Journey of Life: Selected Poems of Daisaku Ikeda, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2014; ISBN 9781780769691
• Kanta and the Deer (children's book), New York: Weatherhill, 1997; ISBN 978-0834804067
• 'La fuerza de la Esperanza; Reflexiones sobre la paz y los derechos humanos en el tercer milenio' (dialogue between Argentine Nobel Peace laureate Dr. Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and Daisaku Ikeda), Buenos Aires: Emecé Editores,2011; ISBN 9789500434126

• Life: An Enigma, a Precious Jewel, 1st edition, New York: Kodansha America, 1982; ISBN 978-0870114335
• Moral Lessons of the Twentieth Century: Gorbachev and Ikeda on Buddhism and Communism with Mikhail Gorbachev, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2005; ISBN 9781845117733
• My Recollections, Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 1980; ISBN 978-0915678105
• New Horizons in Eastern Humanism Buddhism, Confucianism and the Quest for Global Peace with Tu Weiming, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2011; ISBN 978-1-84885-593-9
• Ode to the Grand Spirit: A dialogue Ode to the Grand Spirit: A Dialogue (Echoes and Reflections)" — with Chingiz Aitmatov, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2009; ISBN 978-1-84511-987-4
• On Being Human: Where Ethics, Medicine, and Spirituality Converge with René Simard and Guy Bourgeault, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2003; ISBN 0-9723267-1-5
• On Peace, Life and Philosophy with Henry Kissinger (tentative translation from Japanese), Heiwa to jinsei to tetsugaku o kataru,「平和」と「人生」と「哲学」を語る, Tokyo, Japan: Ushio Shuppansha, 1987; ISBN 978-4267011641
• One by One: The World is Yours to Change, Sonoma, California: Dunhill Publishing; Paper/DVD edition, 2004; ISBN 978-1931501019
• Over the Deep Blue Sea (children's book), Brian Wildsmith (Illustrator), New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993, ISBN 978-0679841845
• Planetary Citizenship: Your Values, Beliefs and Actions Can Shape A Sustainable World with Hazel Henderson, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2004; ISBN 0972326723/ISBN 978-0972326728
• Rendezvous with nature: songs of peace / photographs by Daisaku Ikeda, Shizen to no taiwa: heiwa no shi, 自然との対話 平和の詩, Tokyo: Soka Gakkai, 2005; OCLC Number: 73228297
• Revolutions to Green the Environment, to Grow the Human Heart: A Dialogue Between M.S. Swaminathan, Leader of the Ever-Green Revolution and Daisaku Ikeda, Proponent of the Human Revolution, Madras, India: East West Books, 2005; ISBN 978-8188661343
• Search for a New Humanity: A Dialogue with Josef Derbolav, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2008; ISBN 978-1-84511-598-2
• Soka Education: A Buddhist Vision for Teachers, Students and Parents, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2001; ISBN 0-9674697-4-0
• Songs from My Heart, (1978), Weatherhill, ISBN 0-8348-0398-4, New York and Tokyo: Weatherhill, Reprint edition 1997; ISBN 0-8348-0398-4
• Space and Eternal Life with Chandra Wickramasinghe, Newburyport, Massachusetts: Journeyman Press, 1998; ISBN 1-85172-060-X
• The Cherry Tree (children's book), Brian Wildsmith (Illustrator), New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1992; ISBN 978-0679826699
• The Flower of Chinese Buddhism, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2009; ISBN 978-0977924547
• The Human Revolution (The Human Revolution, #1-12), abridged two-book set, Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 2008; ISBN 0-915678-77-2
• The Inner Philosopher: Conversations on Philosophy’s Transformative Power with Lou Marinoff, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Dialogue Path Press, 2012; ISBN 978-1887917094
• The Living Buddha: An Interpretive Biography, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2008; ISBN 978-0977924523
• The New Human Revolution (an ongoing series) (30+ Volumes, this is an ongoing series), Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 1995-; partial list of ISBN Vol.1 978-0-915678-33-4, Vol.2 978-0-915678-34-1, Vol.3 978-0-915678-35-8, Vol.4 978-0-915678-36-5, Vol.5 978-0-915678-37-2, Vol.6 978-0-915678-38-9, Vol.7 978-0-915678-39-6, Vol.8 978-0-915678-40-2, Vol.9 978-0-915678-41-9, Vol.10 978-0-915678-42-6, Vol.11 978-0-915678-43-3, Vol.12 978-0-915678-44-0, Vol.13 978-0-915678-45-7, Vol.14 978-0-915678-46-4, Vol.15 978-0-915678-47-1, Vol.16 978-0-915678-48-8, Vol.17 978-0-915678-49-5, Vol.18 978-0-915678-50-1, Vol.19 978-0-915678-51-8, Vol.20 978-0-915678-52-5, Vol.21 978-0-915678-53-2, Vol.22 978-0-915678-54-9, Vol.23 978-0-915678-55-6, Vol.24 978-0-915678-56-3
• The Persistence of Religion: Comparative Perspectives on Modern Spirituality with Harvey Cox, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2009; ISBN 9781848851955 (Paperback), ISBN 9781848851948 (Hardback)
• The Princess and the Moon (children's book), Brian Wildsmith (Illustrator), New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1992; ISBN 978-0679836209
• The Snow Country Prince (children's book), Brian Wildsmith (Illustrator), New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1991; ISBN 978-0679919650
• The Way of Youth: Buddhist Common Sense for Handling Life's Questions (with a foreword by Duncan Sheik), Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2000, ISBN 9780967469706
• The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra (6 volumes), Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 2000 (vols 1 & 2), 2001 (vol 3), 2002 (vol 4), 2003 (vols 5 & 6); ISBN 0-915678-69-1 (vol 1), 0-915678-70-5 (vol 2), 0-9-15678-71-3 (vol 3), 0-915678-72-1 (vol 4), 0-915678-73-X (vol 5), 0-915678-74-8 (vol 6)
• Dialogue for a Greater Century of Humanism with John Kenneth Galbraith (in Japanese: 人間主義の大世紀を―わが人生を飾れ) Tokyo, Japan: Ushio Shuppansha, 2005; ISBN 978-4267017308
• Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death: A Buddhist View of Life, 2nd edition, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2004; ISBN 978-0972326704

[ Source: Wikipedia ]