Soka Gakkai Honorary President Daisaku Ikeda speaks at a hotel in Tokyo, Japan, May 2008, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
TOKYO, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Daisaku Ikeda, who helped spread Buddhist thought around the world through Soka Gakkai – Japan’s largest religious organisation and an ally of the government – has died, the organisation said on Saturday.
Ikeda died on Wednesday evening from natural causes at age 95, Soka Gakkai said in a statement on its website.
He was the longtime spiritual leader of the lay Buddhist organisation known abroad for its association with celebrities and at home for its influence on politics.
Soka Gakkai, founded in 1930, says it has 12 million members in 192 countries and territories worldwide.
Ikeda travelled to more than 50 countries for talks with leaders including then-Chinese leader Zhou Enlai and then-Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.
Well-known Soka Gakkai adherents include British actor Orlando Bloom, jazz musicians Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter and Italian football player Roberto Baggio.
Ikeda founded the precursor to Japan’s Komeito political party, the current government’s…
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