In 1978, Rissho Kosei-kai established the Niwano Peace Foundation to further contribute to attaining world peace. The foundation aimed at enhancing culture by promoting research and other activities based on religious spirit and serving the cause of peace in fields such as thought, culture, science, and education.
Since the following year, it has annually presented grants to assistance activities and research projects based on a religious spirit. Since 1983, the foundation has awarded the Niwano Peace Prize to honor distinguished individuals or groups that contribute to world peace through interreligious dialogue, disarmament, protection of human rights, and conflict resolution.
Nikkyo Niwano, the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, has consistently urged the necessity of peace activities based on a religious spirit but transcending denominational bounds.
Today, complex problems threaten the world: nuclear war, hunger, and environmental pollution. At such a time, the mission of people of religion is more important than ever. They must cooperate based on mutual understanding in working for the common goals of human happiness and the realization of world peace. Based on these principles, Founder Niwano has promoted interreligious cooperation both on the international level as one of the leaders of the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP) and the International Association For Religious Freedom(IARF), and on the domestic level, as the force behind the Movement for a Brighter World Community.
His firm belief is that people of religion worldwide and others whose activities are rooted in the spirit of faith should cooperate, transcending sectarian differences to promote such actions from the broad viewpoint of social and public well-being. With these goals in mind, Rissho Kosei-kai established the Niwano Peace Foundation.
For a list of recipients, please visit, https://www.npf.or.jp/english/peace_prize