On January 22, Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada released a statement welcoming the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on behalf of the members of Soka Gakkai worldwide. He asserts that the entry into force of the TPNW heralds an end to the nuclear age and a significant step forward in efforts toward the elimination of nuclear weapons. He expresses the deepest respect and appreciation to all those who have worked for many years toward the shared objective of ridding the world of nuclear weapons, including the hibakusha, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), and others in the international NGO community. He describes the Soka Gakkai and Soka Gakkai International (SGI)’s legacy of grassroots initiatives to eliminate nuclear weapons, including organizing antinuclear exhibitions, campaigns to collect signatures and the publication of the testimonies of atomic bomb survivors. He also calls for increased global solidarity to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world and a shift from state-centered security to people-centered security focused on protecting people’s lives and dignity.
The SGI has also cosigned an interfaith statement together with more than 170 other religious groups.
