Editing Soka Gakkai (section)

===International growth===
In October 1960, five months after his inauguration, Ikeda and a small group of staff members visited the United States, Canada (Toronto),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Morgan|first1=Diane|title=The Buddhist experience in America|date=2004|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport, Conn. [u.a.]|isbn=978-0-313-32491-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/buddhistexperien0000morg/page/128 128]|edition=1st publ.|url=https://archive.org/details/buddhistexperien0000morg}}</ref> and Brazil.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Hefferan |editor-first1=Tara |editor-last2=Adkins |editor-first2=Julie |editor-last3=Occhipinti |editor-first3=Laurie |title=Bridging the gaps: faith-based organizations, neoliberalism, and development in Latin America and the Caribbean|date=2009|publisher=Lexington Books|location=Lanham, MD|isbn=978-0-7391-3287-6|page=182}}</ref> In the United States he visited Honolulu, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles, meeting with members, the vast majority Japanese war brides, at discussion and guidance meetings, setting up local organizations, and appointing leaders to take responsibility.

Ikeda also expanded the scope and pattern of the Gakkai's activities. In 1961 he created an arm of the organization, the Culture Bureau, to accommodate nonreligious activities. It had departments for the study and discussion of Economics, Politics, Education, Speech, and, later in the year, the Arts.<ref>{{cite book |author=Kiyoaki Murata |title=Japan's new Buddhism: an objective account of Soka Gakkai.|date=1969|publisher=Weatherhill|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8348-0040-3|page=125|edition= 1st}}</ref>

Ikeda and his team visited countries in Europe and Southeast Asia in 1961 and the Near and Middle East in 1962.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dehn|first1=Ulrich|editor1-last=Staemmler|editor1-first=Birgit|editor2-last=Dehn|editor2-first=Ulrich|editor1-link=Soka Gakkai|title=Establishing the revolutionary: an introduction to new religions in Japan|date=2011|publisher=Lit|location=Berlin|isbn=978-3-643-90152-1|page=207}}</ref> By 1967 Ikeda had completed 13 trips abroad to strengthen the overseas organizations.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Urbain|first1=Olivier|title=Daisaku Ikeda and dialogue for peace|date=2013|publisher=I.B. Tauris|location=London|isbn=978-0-85772-269-0|pages=22–3}}</ref>

The Gakkai's first overseas mission, called Nichiren Shoshu of America (NSA), grew rapidly and claimed some 200,000 American adherents by 1970.<ref name=worldReligions>{{cite book|editor-last=Neusner|editor-first=Jacob|title=World religions in America: an introduction|year=2003|publisher=Westminster John Knox|location=Louisville, Ky.;London|isbn=978-0-664-22475-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/worldreligionsin0000unse_j3t5/page/166 166]|edition=3rd|url=https://archive.org/details/worldreligionsin0000unse_j3t5}}</ref> Ikeda founded Soka Junior and Senior High Schools in 1968 and Soka University in 1971.<ref>{{cite book |author=Kiyoaki Murata |title=Japan's new Buddhism: an objective account of Soka Gakkai.|date=1969|publisher=Weatherhill|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8348-0040-3|pages=146–147|edition= 1st}}</ref> Soka Gakkai International (SGI) was formally founded in 1975, on [[Guam]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Marshall|first1=Katherine|title=Global institutions of religion ancient movers, modern shakers|date=2013|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=978-1-136-67344-3|page=107}}</ref>