Japan's Daisaku Ikeda, longtime leader lay Buddhist Soka Gakkai, dies at 95 - media

Daisaku Ikeda, who helped spread Buddhist thought around the world through Soka Gakkai - Japan's largest religious organisation and an ally of the government - has died, Japanese media said on Saturday.

Daisaku Ikeda, who helped spread Buddhist thought around the world through Soka Gakkai - Japan's largest religious organisation and an ally of the government - has died, Japanese media said on Saturday. Ikeda died on Wednesday evening from natural causes at age 95, public broadcaster NHK reported.

He was the longtime spiritual leader of the lay Buddhist organization known abroad for its association with celebrities and at home for its influence on politics. He founded the precursor to Japan's Komeito political party, the current government's junior coalition partner, in 1964.