A commemorative photo of participants at the memorial in Dalian, China
On December 2, 2023, the Dalian China-Japan Educational and Cultural Exchange Association hosted a memorial in Dalian City, China, to honor the life of Soka Gakkai Honorary President and Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda, who passed away on November 15, 2023.
At the event, Cui Yafei, president of the
association, referred to the achievements of Mr. Ikeda and his role in
promoting mutual understanding between China and Japan. The association
conferred the title of Senior Advisor on Mr. Ikeda in 2009.
Zhao Yaping, former president of the association,
expressed his intention to carry forward Mr. Ikeda’s philosophy and spirit by
dedicating himself to cultural and educational exchanges to promote peace. Jia
Julin, former vice president of the association, stressed the valuable
influence of Mr. Ikeda’s educational philosophy. Yu Jiayou, former president of
Dalian Polytechnic University, also spoke at the memorial.
Other guests from the academic field included Liu
Aijun, director of the Research Institute on Daisaku Ikeda’s Philosophy at
Dalian Polytechnic University, Cui Xuesen, director of the Daisaku Ikeda
Research Center at Dalian University of Foreign Languages, and Hong Gang,
principal researcher of the Daisaku Ikeda Research Center at Dalian Maritime
University.
Katsumi Koga, founder and president of the
NIHONKAI International, Exchange Center, honorary president of the Japan-China
Friendship Association of Ishikawa Prefecture and honorary citizen of Dalian
City, shared his determination to consolidate a “golden bridge” of friendship
between China and Japan, following in the footsteps of Mr. Ikeda.
[Adapted
from an article in the December 10, 2023, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun,
Soka Gakkai, Japan]
