Soka University – Japan

Soka University opened to undergraduate students in 1971, with its graduate school opening in 1975. Since the school's founding, more than 50,000 students have graduated from Soka University

Soka University of America is a related school founded in 2001, located in Aliso Viejo, California, which offers both graduate and undergraduate degrees.

Soka University's educational philosophy was established by Tsunesaburō Makiguchi, the first president of the Soka Gakkai (then called the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai, or Value-creating Education Society), who had worked as the principal of an elementary school in Japan. Makiguchi published the book "The System of Value-Creating Pedagogy" based on his belief that the purpose of education is the students' happiness, and emphasized humanistic education. This educational philosophy was shared by his successor, Jōsei Toda, who had served as an elementary school teacher. Toda's successor, Daisaku Ikeda, describes his goal as carrying out the dreams of Makiguchi and Toda.

"Soka" is a Japanese term meaning "value creation". In 1971, when Daisaku Ikeda founded Soka University, the school established the following founding principles:

• Be the highest seat of learning for humanistic education.
• Be the cradle of a new culture.
• Be a fortress for the peace of humankind.

Since 2010, the university has also adopted the official motto Discover Your Potential (自分力の発見).