He (Takashi Koizumi) remarked: “No matter what anyone says, Mr Ikeda is the person who has worked hardest for the Soka Gakkai since his early youth. Because he has worked the hardest, it is only natural that he should become president of our organisation.”​​

Second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda often said: “Why did I become the president of the Soka Gakkai? The reason is that I lost my wife. I lost my beloved daughter. And I have tasted life’s bitter hardships to the hilt. That is why I became the president.”​

Because he worked endlessly and had undergone every kind of ordeal, he was qualified to be president — this was Mr Toda’s philosophy.​

Experiencing various hardships enables us to deepen our faith…​

I would like to share with you something that former Soka Gakkai general director Takashi Koizumi once said. I do so reluctantly because his comments concern me personally. Nevertheless, I will share them with you because of the great trust and expectations I have for you.​

He remarked: “No matter what anyone says, Mr Ikeda is the person who has worked hardest for the Soka Gakkai since his early youth. Because he has worked the hardest, it is only natural that he should become president of our organisation.”​

This was Mr Koizumi’s unchanging conviction. He was a person fully aware of the facts.