Toda Peace Institute

The Toda Peace Institute (TPI) is an independent, nonpartisan research institute headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, committed to advancing a more just and peaceful world through policy-oriented peace research and practice. It was established on 11 February 1996 by Daisaku Ikeda, the Buddhist philosopher, educator, writer and founding president of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), and was founded in honour of his mentor Josei Toda and Toda's vision of sustainable peace, a world without nuclear weapons, and respect for the inherent dignity of life. Originally named the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research, the organisation has operated for decades as a bridge between theoretical experts, practitioners, policymakers and civil society leaders. The institute commissions evidence-based research, convenes multi-track and multi-disciplinary problem-solving workshops and seminars, and promotes dialogue across ethnic, cultural, religious and political divides. Its stated mission is to develop creative nonviolent options to address interconnected, complex and transnational problems that threaten peace and human survival, drawing on collaborative problem solving, reality-based optimism and inclusive facilitation. Its vision is a more peaceful world in which greater cooperation, inclusion, diversity and innovation are harnessed to build a sustainable future. TPI's work is organised around major themes and programmes, including Cooperative Security, Arms Control and Disarmament; Climate Change and Conflict; and Global Challenges to Democracy. It publishes a stream of policy briefs, reports, books and multimedia content, including the Global Outlook commentary series, the Toda Policy Brief series, podcasts and videos. Its output is global in scope, with authors, topics and regions spanning the Pacific, Europe, Asia and beyond, and it maintains an administrative office in Tokyo alongside editorial and event staff based in New Zealand. As a nonpartisan institute rather than a commercial enterprise, TPI does not sell products in the conventional sense; its 'offerings' are research publications, workshops, seminars, dialogues and policy recommendations. It is funded and governed independently, with a Chair of the Board, a Managing Director, an Administrative Director and an Editor for its policy brief series. The institute remains active, publishing regularly on peace and security, climate-conflict linkages, democracy and multilateral governance.

The Toda Peace Institute was established on 11 February 1996 by Daisaku Ikeda, a Buddhist philosopher, educator, prolific writer and poet, and founding president of Soka Gakkai International (SGI). It was originally called the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research and was founded in honour of Ikeda's mentor, Josei Toda, and his vision for sustainable peace. Ikeda, born in Tokyo in 1928, experienced firsthand the tragic reality of war and militarism, experiences that shaped his commitment to building lasting peace. Over the years he engaged in dialogue with many of the world's preeminent thinkers and leaders in search of viable responses to global problems, and wrote extensively on issues related to peace and the human condition, including annual peace proposals. The institute's namesake, Josei Toda (1900–58), was an educator disillusioned with a Japanese educational system that advanced the interests of the state and suppressed independent thought. He found inspiration in the work of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, a primary school principal with a child-centred teaching methodology. Makiguchi and Toda founded the Value Creating Educational Society, which aimed to promote human development through education and Buddhist principles. With the onset of World War II, Toda and Makiguchi's pacifist beliefs and anti-war stance met with harsh persecution by the Japanese military government. In 1943 they were arrested on charges of violating the Peace Preservation Law; Makiguchi died in prison, but Toda survived the incarceration. This history of principled resistance to militarism and commitment to education and dialogue forms the moral foundation of the institute that bears Toda's name. From its establishment, the Toda Peace Institute has operated as an independent, nonpartisan body committed to advancing a more just and peaceful world through policy-oriented peace research and practice. It commissions evidence-based research, convenes multi-track and multi-disciplinary problem-solving workshops and seminars, and promotes dialogue across ethnic, cultural, religious and political divides. Its purpose is to catalyse practical, policy-oriented conversations between theoretical experts, practitioners, policymakers and civil society leaders in order to discern innovative and creative solutions to the major problems confronting the world in the twenty-first century. Over the decades the institute has built a global network of scholars and practitioners and developed a portfolio of programmes and publications. Its work themes include Cooperative Security, Arms Control and Disarmament; Climate Change and Conflict; and Global Challenges to Democracy. It publishes the Toda Policy Brief series, the Global Outlook commentary series, reports, books and multimedia content, and maintains an administrative office in Tokyo with editorial and event staff also based in New Zealand. The institute continues to publish regularly on peace and security, climate-conflict linkages, democracy and multilateral governance, and remains active under its current leadership, including Chair of the Board Masashi Nakayama, Managing Director Masaki Honda and Director Stein Tønnesson.

• 2023

  Publication of 'Climate Change and Conflict in the Pacific: Challenges and Responses' (Routledge, 2023), edited by Ria Shibata, Seforosa Carroll and Volker Boege.

• 1996

  Toda Peace Institute (originally Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research) established by Daisaku Ikeda.

• 1943

  Josei Toda and Tsunesaburo Makiguchi arrested for violating the Peace Preservation Law; Makiguchi dies in prison, Toda survives.

Independent, nonpartisan peace research institute producing evidence-based, policy-oriented research and convening multi-track dialogue across divides.

• Toda Policy Brief series

  Policy brief series edited by Rosemary McBryde.

• Global Outlook commentary series

  Commentary articles on global peace and security issues.

• Climate Change and Conflict in the Pacific: Challenges and Responses

  Book edited by Ria Shibata, Seforosa Carroll and Volker Boege, Routledge 2023, ISBN 9780367431853.

• Pacific Declaration on Climate Change, Conflict and Peace

  Declaration endorsed by the institute.

1. 1Toda Peace Institutetoda.org
2. 2History | About Us | Toda Peace Institutetoda.org
3. 3About Us | Toda Peace Institutetoda.org
4. 4Staff | About Us | Toda Peace Institutetoda.org
5. 5Toda Peace Institutewikidata.org