Soka Gakkai in Historical Perspective

Abstract ALONG with the accelerated trends toward “globalization” the postwar years, many religious groups have developed extensive missionary activities in areas outside their home countries. Japanese religions are no exception to this, and the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) may be regarded as a typical example of a successful overseas mission conducted during the last few decades of the twentieth century. Formally established in 1975, it is now estimated to have branches in more than a hundred countries or areas, and counts a considerable number of non-Japanese members. Of the religious groups stemming from Japan, it is certainly among the very few to have acquired a multinational character.