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Autonomous Weapons Systems: Ensuring Human Control Based on Respect for the Dignity of Life Autonomous Weapons Systems: Ensuring Human Control Based on Respect for the Dignity of Life
“To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to humanity.” This June marked the eighty-first anniversary of humanity’s shared pledge, inscribed in the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations—a pledge born from profound and painful reflection on the two world wars, which claimed the precious lives of people across the world.
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News Highlights from Seikyo Shimbun
(the Soka Gakkai's daily newspaper)

Fife and Drum Corps Celebrates 70th Anniversary Japan [© Seikyo Shimbun] Fife and Drum Corps Celebrates 70th Anniversary Japan:
The Fife and Drum Corps of the Soka Gakkai in Japan celebrated its 70th anniversary with two special concerts at the Kodaira Citizens Cultural Hall in Tokyo on July 25. The afternoon performance was attended by some 1,000 people, including Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada, Soka Gakkai Women’s Division Leader for Japan Masami Nasu and local government representatives. In her address, Fife and Drum Corps leader Sachie Washio reflected on the group’s 70-year history and expressed its aim to unite people through music. The evening performance was also attended by some 1,000 people.
Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on AI and Nuclear War at Borgo Laudato Si’ Italy In his speech, Yoshiyuki Nagaoka, executive director of the Office of Public Affairs of the Soka Gakkai, said, “The capacity to heal people and our planet exists, not as something separate from ourselves, but within each of us.” [© benedetta guidantoni] Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on AI and Nuclear War at Borgo Laudato Si’ Italy:
From July 14 to 16, Soka Gakkai representatives joined the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War held at Borgo Laudato Si’ on the Vatican’s papal estate in Castel Gandolfo and Rome’s Capitoline Hill. Over the three days, some 200 people, including Nobel laureates, former heads of state, AI experts, faith representatives, and delegates from universities, research institutions and international organizations, gathered to discuss ethics, autonomous weapons and the nuclear threat. The event was supported by the Soka Gakkai, together with 11 other organizations and was inspired by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV’s May 2026 encyclical Magnifica humanitas that was dedicated to safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.

On July 15, at a session titled “Faith and the Future of Humanity in the Age of AI and Nuclear Weapons,” Yoshiyuki Nagaoka, executive director of the Office of Public Affairs of the Soka Gakkai, gave a presentation. Other speakers included representatives from various faith traditions.

At the Capitoline Hill in Rome on July 16, "The Rome Declaration for an Unarmed and Disarming Peace in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Nuclear and Autonomous Weapons, New Digital Protocols, and Emerging Models of Digital Development" was signed. The declaration calls for a new international governance of AI and renewed efforts towards nuclear disarmament.
MOU with Kazakhstan’s International Center for Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue Japan With the MoU: Bakhytzhan Suyundikov, chargé d'affaires ad interim of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Japan (second left); Gulsana Kozhabay, chair of the board of the ICIID (center left); and Shigeo Hasegawa, general director of Soka Gakkai in Japan (center right) [© Seikyo Shimbun] MOU with Kazakhstan’s International Center for Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue Japan:
On June 30, the International Center for Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue (ICIID) of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Soka Gakkai signed a memorandum of understanding at a ceremony held at the Josei Toda International Center in Tokyo. In her opening remarks, Gulsana Kozhabay, chair of the board of the ICIID, emphasized that the legacy of nuclear tragedy shared by Kazakhstan and Japan places a special responsibility on both countries to promote a culture of peace. Bakhytzhan Suyundikov, chargé d’affaires ad interim of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Japan, and Shigeo Hasegawa, general director of Soka Gakkai in Japan, also spoke. A roundtable was held after the ceremony on topics including AI ethics, the role of religion in addressing climate change and Asian traditions contributing to global harmony.