Most Honorable Mr. Hasegawa,
Distinguished representatives of Soka Gakkai,
Distinguished Mr. Suyundikov,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to our Japanese partners, Soka Gakkai, for their gracious invitation, warm hospitality, and the outstanding organization of today's meeting.
I would also like to extend my special appreciation to Mr. Minoru Harada, President of Soka Gakkai, for his continued commitment to the promotion of peace, human dignity, and dialogue among peoples.
We are deeply grateful to Mr. Shigeo Hasegawa, Chair of the Board of Soka Gakkai, and to the distinguished representatives of Soka Gakkai for their steadfast support of our partnership and for providing us with the opportunity to hold today's meeting here in Tokyo.
Dear colleagues,
Allow me to express our sincere appreciation to Soka Gakkai for its unwavering commitment to promoting a culture of peace, education, and humanism. These values resonate deeply with Kazakhstan, which has long been dedicated to advancing interreligious and intercultural dialogue.
Today’s meeting represents an important milestone in the further development of our partnership with your organization, which has long been a committed participant and a highly respected partner of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana.
At first glance, Kazakhstan and Japan may seem far apart. Yet history reminds us that geography is not always measured by distance, but by the paths that connect people, cultures, and shared aspirations.
For centuries, the routes of the Great Silk Road passed through the lands of the Great Steppe, carrying far more than goods. They also served as channels for the exchange of ideas, works of art, and spiritual traditions.
Within this great movement, Buddhism occupied a unique place. It connected vast regions of Asia, stretching from India and Central Asia to China, Korea, and Japan. For this reason, we regard the Buddhist heritage as an integral part of the shared history of the Eurasian continent.
Kazakhstan is home to many surviving monuments of Buddhist culture. They remind us that, for centuries, the Great Steppe was a meeting place where spiritual traditions encountered and enriched one another. Buddhist thought speaks of the interconnectedness of all living things, while Kazakh wisdom teaches us: “Yrys aldy — yntymak” — prosperity begins with harmony. It is in this spirit that we continue here in Japan today the Eurasian dialogue on peace and our shared responsibility for the future.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly emphasized the principle of “unity in diversity” as one of the foundations of social development. This approach also underpins our international engagement.
One of Kazakhstan’s key initiatives is the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. Since its establishment in 2003, the Congress has served for nearly a quarter of a century as a global platform for interreligious dialogue, bringing together prominent spiritual leaders representing the world’s major religions.
The VIII Congress, held in Astana in September 2025, brought together more than 100 delegations from 60 countries. Its broad participation demonstrated that, at a time of growing international polarization, the need for dialogue has become more urgent than ever.
Its significance was further underscored by the fact that it was held during a period of profound international tensions, including the conflict in Gaza. We understood the complexity and sensitivity of the moment and were prepared for every possible outcome. Nevertheless, the leaders of Judaism, Islam, and other faith traditions chose to continue their dialogue and remained at the same table. For us, this sent a powerful message: it is precisely at moments of greatest division that platforms for dialogue become indispensable.
In recent years, we have strengthened the Congress’s practical engagement with both young religious leaders and the expert community. Since 2024, the Forum of Young Religious Leaders has provided a platform for a new generation of faith leaders to contribute to interreligious dialogue. In 2025, we launched the Expert Roundtable to complement religious dialogue with evidence-based recommendations and practical initiatives.
Within this framework, particular attention is devoted to two priority areas: the role of religions in addressing climate change and the ethical implications of the use of artificial intelligence in the religious sphere.
I will not dwell on these issues in detail. What is most important is that religious traditions have a vital spiritual and moral contribution to make in addressing the defining challenges of our time.
Of particular significance in this dialogue is the shared moral memory of Kazakhstan and Japan.
Japan carries the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Kazakhstan carries the memory of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. Perhaps this shared historical experience is why our peoples understand so deeply that peace can never be taken for granted—it requires constant vigilance, responsibility, and constructive action.
Today, the memory of past suffering must give rise to an ethic of prevention—an ethic that shapes our responsibility toward the environment, technological progress, education, and the formation of future generations.
Distinguished colleagues,
Such initiatives are possible only through strong international partnerships. In this regard, Soka Gakkai holds a special place for us. Your longstanding commitment to promoting a culture of peace, education, and humanism makes your organization a valued partner of Kazakhstan in advancing dialogue, expert cooperation, and joint initiatives.
