CategoryOn the Cover

Throughout 2025, the World Tribune is featuring on the cover historical acts of diplomacy that shifted public sentiment and even thawed tensions between nations. In this issue, we focus on the power of individuals coming together to create a safer and more peaceful world. On March 1, 1954, a hydrogen bomb test conducted on Bikini

The following message by Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada was translated from the May 2025 issue of the Soka Gakkai’s monthly study journal, Daibyakurenge. One of the most defining hallmarks of Ikeda Sensei’s greatness is that, even as he served as a mentor to countless others, he continued to live his life wholeheartedly as a

How one man’s vision to bring the world together through music spurred a musical language that inspires hope.

How the modern Olympics breathes life into an ancient tradition.

How a photography exhibition’s message of unity resonated with the world.

How a gift of cherry trees from Japan to the U.S. became an enduring symbol of peace, friendship and cultural exchange.

How a gesture of friendship between two athletes opened avenues for diplomacy between the U.S. and China.

How the ’95 Rugby World Cup inspired reconciliation and then a chain reaction of victory.

How Korean entertainment and television became tools of soft power.

How ordinary people built bridges of shared struggle amid the devastation of war.

How one young man’s sincere actions gave his community and country hope amid devastation.

How a nation’s food became a gateway to cultural understanding and diplomacy.

How a lone musician became a symbol of hope amid the ruins of war.

Throughout 2025, the World Tribune will feature on the cover historical acts of cultural diplomacy that were effective in helping shift public sentiment and even thaw tensions between nations. As such, we open the New Year with the iconic January 1961 image of Louis Armstrong serenading his wife, Lucille, before the Great Sphinx of Giza

Sitting in the heart of California, Yosemite National Park is known for its exceptional natural beauty. It features five of the world’s highest waterfalls, granite domes and walls, deeply incised valleys, three groves of giant sequoia trees, lakes and a diversity of wildlife. The park’s distinctive landscape is the result of millions of years of

Located in a mountainous region of Japan, the historic villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama were cut off from the rest of the world from the 8th century until the 1950s. In response to this geographical and social isolation, two unique cultural developments emerged. First, the large Gassho-style houses—characterized by their large attic spaces for agricultural

A glacier is a body of dense ice that forms only on land and constantly moves downhill under its own weight. Sermeq Kujalleq, located in West Greenland, is one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea. And Ilulissat Icefjord is where that happens—a very active area where some 20-cubic-miles

Ikeda Sensei: When we do gongyo and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we conduct a ceremony in which we praise the Gohonzon and the great pure Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. On one level, it could be said that our daily chanting is like a paean for the Buddha and for Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the fundamental Law of the universe. At the

Located in eastern Nepal, the Sagarmatha National Park encompasses one of the world’s most remarkable natural wonders. Among its dramatic mountains, glaciers and deep valleys is Mount Sagarmatha, commonly known as Mount Everest, the highest point on the Earth’s surface at 29,031 feet, and seven other peaks towering over 22,000 feet. The region is home

Off the western coasts of Albania and Greece, the Old Town of Corfu sits at the entrance of the Adriatic Sea—a strategic location in both trade and war. With its roots dating back to Greek city-states in 8th century BCE, it has undergone various influences from the Byzantine period to Venetian rule to French, British