Sōka Gakkai and the Politics of Happiness

Observers have struggled to pin down where Sōka Gakkai supporters stand on the political spectrum because their rhetoric of supporting working-class families isn’t accompanied by efforts to change the economic structure, the way it is for standard left-wing parties. George Ehrhardt argues in his presentation that we can reconcile these observations by understanding where Sōka Gakkai locates the source of human happiness.

This presentation marks the end of a conference entitled “Religious Organizations and the Politics of Happiness” to be held on the same day at the DIJ. We cordially invite you to also participate in that event, starting at 9.30 am. For further information please see our website (www.dijtokyo.org).

George Ehrhardt is Assistant Professor for Political Science at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and member of the research team working on religion and politics in Japan, jointly organized by the DIJ and Chuo University, Tokyo.