The autobiographical novel by Daisaku Ikeda, SGI President. 1974: Shin'ichi Yamamoto's initiatives to spread a culture of peace bear fruit, and the kosen rufu movement begins to be understood even where it was previously viewed with suspicion. President Yamamoto travels to Panama, then to Peru, where he receives the keys to the city of Lima, and to California, where he is awarded honorary citizenship of San Diego. In Okinawa, Soka Gakkai youth collect the experiences of World War II survivors, a valuable testimony that will serve as a warning for the future about the tragic consequences of war.
1974 is also the year Shin'ichi Yamamoto travels to China and the Soviet Union. The establishment of friendly relations between universities and his efforts to initiate sincere dialogues are the beginning of a path toward friendship and trust between nations that had long been hostile to each other. Towards the end of the year, President Yamamoto is again in Beijing, where a historic meeting, strongly desired by the gravely ill Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, takes place. Yamamoto later also meets with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to present his proposals aimed at international détente.
