Rissho Kosei-kai held its annual Youth Day on May 20 throughout Japan. The theme and subtheme for this year were "Great Aspiration: Raising the Winds of Social Change" and "The Spirit of Sharing."

Some 15,000 young members promoted various activities in the bodhisattva spirit, ranging from support for victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami to the support of UNICEF activities and the cleaning of public places. About 26,000 people, including adult Rissho Kosei-kai members and members of the general public, joined in the activities. At noon all the participants prayed for world peace.

President-designate Kosho Niwano visited the venues of events held by members of the Kofu, Kajikazawa, and Enzan Dharma centers, in Yamanashi Prefecture, and joined in their activities.

Every Dharma center has shown undiminished concern for the March 2011 disaster victims. At the Nagasaki Dharma Center in Kyushu, 48 members promoted a fundraising drive in the city's busy streets. Displaying panels of photos of disaster areas, the participants distributed hand-made cards bearing messages conveying the importance of personal ties and lasting concern for the victims. At the Arakawa Dharma Center in Tokyo, 261 members took part in a local charity event and appealed for donations. The money they raised was later entrusted to the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace and the Japanese Red Cross Society, to be used for support of the victims. In the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan, where damage from the earthquake and tsunami was heaviest, members of local Dharma centers visited temporary housing units for disaster victims and did volunteer work.

Members of the Nara Dharma Center promoted a campaign to publicize the Donate-a-Meal Movement. In front of the Nandaimon gate of Todaiji temple, 42 members handed passers-by packets of facial tissues, each containing a card with information about the Donate-a-Meal Movement.

The Shimizu Dharma Center, in Shizuoka Prefecture, promoted a UNICEF fundraising campaign. At four tourist sites in Shizuoka City 51 members of the center appealed to tourists and citizens for support.

In Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, 25 members joined 500 citizens in a cleanup campaign of the city's Machiya beach, which was jointly organized by a local nonprofit organization and a student committee of Mie University. Several other Dharma centers also developed cleanup campaigns for public places.

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