New Year’s prayer meetings were held around the world to usher in 2025, a year themed by the Soka Gakkai as the Year of Soaring Higher toward a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide. On January 1, members in Belgium, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and Togo gathered to mark the start of the New Year. Across South Korea, New Year’s prayer meetings also took place between January 2 and 5.
On December 26, the Soka Gakkai’s Seikyo Shimbun newspaper announced that Soka Gakkai in Portugal has been officially registered as a religious corporation by the government of Portugal. To commemorate this milestone, a nationwide leaders meeting was held online on December 8, connecting members in locations including Lisbon, Porto, the Azores and Madeira.
On December 15, Soka Gakkai of Colombia held a general meeting at its center in the capital of Bogotá, connecting 15 cities across the country. During the meeting, Fanny Figueroa was appointed as general director.