Daisaku Ikeda Research Center Launched at Hebei International Studies University
Launch of the Daisaku Ikeda Research Center at Hebei International Studies University with President Sun (3rd from right) in attendance
On April 27, 2022, Hebei International Studies University (HFSU) in Shijiazhuang, China, inaugurated the Daisaku Ikeda Research Center for the study of the namesake’s philosophy. In attendance were HFSU President Sun Jianzhong, Vice President Xi Wei and Dean Zhang Andi of the Japanese Language Institute.
Established in 1998, HFSU is the only international language university in Hebei province, covering some 75 languages. It has an enrollment of more than 26,000 and has partnerships with some 400 universities and academic institutions in 82 countries.
President Sun offered his
congratulations on the opening of the center, marking the 50th anniversary of
the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations this year. Stating that Dr. Ikeda
has made great contributions to friendship between China and Japan through the promotion
of mutual understanding, he said he hoped that research into Dr. Ikeda’s
achievements and philosophy could open the way to further promote peace.
A student at the institute spoke of how he had been inspired by President Ikeda’s Discussions on Youth as a high school student and had later come to be impressed by the bold steps he had taken to build peace between China and Japan, including his 1968 Proposal for Normalization of Sino-Japanese Relations.
Soka Gakkai Vice President Hirotsugu Terasaki, who joined the ceremony online, announced that the Soka Gakkai will donate some 400 books to the center in support of its research.
[Adapted from an article in the May 4, 2022, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan]
