News Headlines

On August 27 and 28, SGI Director General for Peace and Global Issues Hirotsugu Terasaki and SGI Director of Disarmament and Human Rights Chie Sunada attended a workshop titled “Fostering cooperation and enhancing consultation mechanisms among the existing nuclear-weapon-free zones” in Astana, Kazakhstan. The workshop was co-organized by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

On August 28, the Center for International Security and Policy (CISP) and the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) co-organized an event at which the documentary film “I Want To Live On: The Untold Stories of the Polygon” was screened. The film, created by CISP with the support of the SGI, features survivor testimonies from Kazakhstan’s Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. During the event, Diana Murzagaliyeva, a fourth-generation survivor, shared her testimony, highlighting the generational impact of nuclear testing.     

On August 9, Singapore held its annual National Day Parade (NDP) at the Padang, a national recreation field, celebrating the country's 59th year of independence. Some 700 Soka Gakkai Singapore (SGS) members performed in the fifth segment of the event titled “We Uplift One Another.” This is the 39th time that SGS members have participated in the parade. The event was attended by 27,000 people including President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

On August 4, Soka Gakkai members in Slovakia held a ceremony in the capital, Bratislava, commemorating the establishment of the first chapter in the country. The event was broadcast online to other venues around the country. Miroslava Photiou was appointed chapter leader, and two groups were formed under the new chapter. SGI Europe Cochairs Suzanne Pritchard and Robert Harrap attended the ceremony.