Daisaku Ikeda
Daisaku Ikeda President of Soka Gakkai International Incumbent Assumed office 26 January 1975 Honorary President of Soka Gakkai Incumbent Assumed office 24 April 1979 3rd President of Soka Gakkai In office 3 May 1960 – 23 April 1979 Preceded by Jōsei Toda Succeeded by Hiroshi Hojo (北条浩) Personal details Born (1928-01-02) 2 January 1928 (age 87) Ōta, Tokyo, Japan Spouse(s) Kaneko Ikeda (池田香峯子) Children Hiromasa Ikeda (池田博正) Takahiro Ikeda (池田尊弘) Official Website Alma mater Fuji Junior College (present-day Tokyo Fuji University) Daisaku Ikeda (池田 大作, Ikeda Daisaku?, born January 2, 1928, Japan) is the founder and current president of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), the international offshoot of Soka Gakkai, a Japanese new religious movement informed by the teachings of Nichiren which, according to its own account, has more than 12 million members. In 1996, he was described in a Los Angeles Times article as a "puzzle of conflicting perceptions", ranging from "Japan's most powerful man" and a "threat to democracy", to an "inspired teacher" and "man of deep learning". Ikeda and Soka Gakkai have been the frequent targets of criticism for fostering a cult of personality centered on Ikeda. A period around 2010 when Ikeda was not seen in public led to speculation about his health. In 2011, a newsweekly known for its adversarial relationship with Soka Gakkai reported that he was terminally ill. He was seen accepting an honorary degree and delivering a speech in March 2013.