SOKA GAKKAI IN ITALY : SUCCESS AND CONTROVERSIES

Abstract

Italy is the Western country with the highest percentage
of Soka Gakkai members. This success needs to be explained. In its
first part, the article discusses the history of Soka Gakkai in Italy,
from the arrival of the first Japanese pioneers to the phenomenal
expansion in the 21st century. It also mentions some internal
problems, the relationship with the Italian authorities, and the
opposition by disgruntled ex-members. In the second part, possible
reasons for the success are examined through a comparison with
another Japanese movement that managed to establish a presence
in Italy (although a smaller one), Sûkyô Mahikari. Unlike Sûkyô
Mahikari, Soka Gakkai proposed a humanistic form of religion
presented as fully compatible with modern science, and succeeded
in “de-Japanizing” its spiritual message, persuading Italian
devotees that it was not “Japanese” but universal.