Soka University founder Daisaku Ikeda has consistently striven to build and reinforce friendship between Japan and China. His 1968 proposal calling for the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations was one of the first steps in this effort to construct an enduring bridge of trust and goodwill between the two countries. Under his leadership in this area, Soka University has also been working toward deepening mutual understanding between the people of the two countries, mainly in the fields of educational and academic exchange. The highlights of our exchange with China are as follows:

Soka University has established an academic research grant for the purpose of facilitating and supporting researchers in China.

In March 2006, Soka University opened its Beijing Office, facilitating the further development of the university’s friendship and exchange programs. Soka University will continue to adhere to the founder’s conviction that Sino-Japanese friendship is vital to global peace, and we will continue our efforts to further promote bilateral exchange activities toward strengthening friendly ties between the two countries.

The Soka University Beijing Office was officially registered under the domestic laws of China in September 2005 as Soka University’s overseas representative office. Since then, it has operated as the university’s official contact and liaison point with various institutes in China.

This grant funds research in China aimed at developing Sino-Japanese friendship and furthering mutual understanding between the two countries. The grant funds:

Every year many Japanese students from Soka University travel to various parts of China for stays of a year or more on study abroad programs, exchange programs or internships. The Beijing Office offers various kinds of support to them.

Soka University News is a quarterly publication in Chinese carrying news and contributed articles relevant to the development of Sino-Japanese exchange. Two thousand copies are printed and many of these are distributed to universities with which Soka University has exchange agreements, former visiting faculty members to Soka University, participants in Soka University-sponsored symposia in China, applicants for the research grant, and others.