On Saturday, March 12, Osh Technological University Uzgen College (OTUUC) of the Kyrgyz Republic presented its first-ever honorary doctorate to Daisaku Ikeda, founder of Soka University, for his longstanding contribution to peace worldwide. The conferral ceremony was held at the Soka University Central Tower in Tokyo, with President Yoshihisa Baba accepting the certificate from OTUUC Rector Asanbek Akmataliev on the founder’s behalf. Among those participating in the ceremony were Representative Bektemil Mulzbraimov of the Kyrgyz National Congress; Prof. Hironori Ito, advisor to the rector of Bishkek Humanities University; Soka University Board of Trustees Chair Yasunori Tashiro; President of Soka Women’s College Keiko Ishikawa; and representatives of the Soka student body.

Established in 1995 as an extension campus of Osh Technological University in Uzgen City, OTUUC was reestablished as a technical institute in 2002 offering seven different academic programs with an enrollment of 1,500 students.

In his presentation address, Rector Akmataliev described Mr. Ikeda as an internationally renowned humanist and commended him for promoting values that are both enduring and universal, as well as for building goodwill and cooperation through cultural exchange. The rector explained that Mr. Ikeda’s dialogue with acclaimed Kyrgyz writer Chinghiz Aitmatov gave him hope and vision to create a better society in a diverse and complex world.

In his acceptance speech read by prox, Mr. Ikeda expressed profound appreciation for the academic honor and shared his joy that Japan and Kyrgyz have been improving ties year after year. In closing, he quoted a passage from a Kyrgyz poem in way of expressing his passion for life and the honor brought by the friendship between the two institutions.