Soka Gakkai calls for nuclear weapon elimination

 KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 -- The Soka Gakkai Buddhist organisation recently put out a statement, calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and early entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

This is to mark the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, according to a statement.

The Soka Gakkai pledges to exert all efforts for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons and also urges the Japanese Government to move toward participation in the TPNW.

“In recent years, there are signs that a nuclear arms race among the nuclear-weapon states is again intensifying,” said Yoshiki Tanigawa, chair of the Soka Gakkai Council on Peace Issues, in a statement.

“At the same time, the global spread of the novel coronavirus has demonstrated that military force is incapable of resolving global challenges, compelling us to confront the question of what constitutes authentic security for human beings.”

Today and Aug 8, respectively, the Soka Gakkai in Hiroshima and Nagasaki will hold online meetings to listen to testimonies of hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bombings, while the Soka Gakkai in Japan will hold an online youth summit toward the renunciation of war in September.

At the global level, the SGI (Soka Gakkai International), with around 200 organisations of different faith backgrounds has signed a Joint Interfaith Statement on the 75th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Soka Gakkai is a global Buddhist organisation with 12 million members worldwide that promotes peace, culture and education. More details at www.sgi.org.

-- BERNAMA