In 1952, the society was adopted by Nichiren Shoshu, with the job of propagating the religion and converting people to the faith.

ECONOMIST: Japan

After the war, the group transformed itself into a lay religious organisation, adopting the name Soka Gakkai (Value-Creation Society), and embracing the faith of the 700-year-old Nichiren Shoshu sect.

ECONOMIST: Japan

Few demands, other than pecuniary ones, are made on Soka Gakkai's followers, who are taught to attain enlightenment and prosperity through chanting sacred phrases handed down from a 13th-century monk called Nichiren.

ECONOMIST: Japan