What Is The Soka Gakkai Style
of Politics?

The Incarcerating Organizational Network

Along  with Soka Gakkai's growth,  Komeito,  their political arm
expanded it's influence, especially after November 1964, when
Komeito replaced the Komei Seiji Reenmei, the forerunner of
Komeito. From this time, Soka Gakkai's political activity changed
considerably, becoming more conspicuous.
The parent religious body, which carries on and promotes the political
activity, has organized its followers into what I must label an "incarcerating",
 "captive" set-up.
The outstanding feature of Soka Gakkai's grip on its followers is
reminiscent of that used by the Old Japanese Military and their
basic set-up is like the Go-nm Gumi, used during the feudal days
of the Tokugawa regime, which consisted of a small, basic, mutual
surveillance unit of five people, and was the base of their control over them.
The organization's primary aim is the indoctrination of members into
 what they are taught to be the Only true religion. Accordingly, this
organization attaches importance to the link
between the convert and the converter.  There exists a very strong
and important relation between the one who practices shakubuku and
 the one who is converted by shahubuku.
With this relationship as its core, each unit (Kumi) is made up of from
 five to ten households, almost exactly following the mutual surveillance
 of five people during the Tokugawa era.  The reason that Soka Gakkai's
 membership strength is expressed in households, is that according
 to their belief, the Gohonzon (sacred object of worship) must be
given to each household unit, meaning that in each house one
Gohonzon is enshrined.  From the small unit, a group (han), consisting
of 15-30 families is formed.  Next is a district group (chibu) consisting
of 150-300 families, and then
a chapter (shiku) which comprises some 1000 families.
Since the size of the average Japanese family is about three members,
 a chapter would have some 3,000 people under its jurisdiction, or about
 the same number of people in the average Japanese town or village.
Several chapters are combined to form a general chapter (so-shibu) a
nd over the general chapter is the joint headquarters (sogo-honbu). This
results in a pyramid shaped military organization, with the small units as the base.
They call this organization the vertical system.  Besides this system, they
have a block style organization which is called the horizontal system.  This
 is the unit based on their residential section.  In this way, the Soka Gakkai
believers are almost completely under control, and in each election they are
 able to fully mobilize their membership in what amounts to a very smooth
working political machine.
This block style organization includes five levels: block, minor block (or group),
 major block, general block and joint block.  By this system each member is
effectively mobilized at any time.  Some years ago there was a case of a lapsed
 member being lynched- a victim of this vertical-horizontal "captive" style organization.
Soka Gakkai members, who might be thinking of defecting, find themselves
 bombarded with strong group pressure, and even though they may be unhappy
 in the organization, if they lack strong will power they will most likely be unable
 to resist.  This is why I call this organizational style  incarcerating", for at the small
unit level it is nothing more than a mutual surveillance unit.
In this sense, it is a system which measures loyalty to the organization through
surveillance and informing on each other.  The discipline of the Communist
Party is said to be iron discipline'', but through such catch phrases as ''philosophy
of life", "obutsu myogo" and "Buddhist Doctrine," they obtain discipline through
 a kind of magic or sorcery, in a word, emotional-religious power.
Their organizational structure is also built by age groups. with the men, women,
 youth. divisions.  The latter is the most active.  The youth division is said to
number between 441 million members and is the spearhead of activity. This is
almost one half of the total membership, so that it can be said that Soka Gakkai
is a mass movement which is built on a foundation of youthful energy.  The core
of the youth division is comprised of university students.  At the end of April
1968, the membership in terms of university students was said to be about 210,000.
  If these figures are correct, it would mean that one out of seven or eight university
students in Japan belong to Soka Gakkai.  Speaking from my experience as a
university professor, I have not found that many among the students in my class
rooms and seminars, and the figures must be taken with a grain of salt, but it is a
 fact that Soka Gakkai sponsored student groups, through the cultural movements
 by such groups
as "Oriental Thought Study Clubs" are growing in number on many university
campuses.  Also recently, not only among university students, but among high
school and middle school students as well, their membership is growing, and
 if we include this group it would appear that there are approximately 300,000
students who are members of Soka Gakkai.  With this size membership, engaging
 morning, noon and night, in shakubuku activities at the cell level, as well as in
various other activities, leaving aside the criticisms as to their methods, we must
admit this is a remarkable thing.
In April 1968, in Kodaira City, Tokyo, Soka Gakkai opened a middle and high
 school, and they are planning to open a university soon. They are also planning
 to start their own labor union.  This should also be noted as a new venture for
 them as well as their strengthening of their political movement.  This means that
the number of Soka Gakkai branch offices are increasing rapidly and in many
different areas.
At the very top of this Soka Gakkai pyramid, is none other than the President,
 Daisaku Ikeda. Under him, there is the Chief Director, General Managers, the
 Vice-Chief Directors, the Directors and the Assistant Directors.  The Board
of Directors functions as the highest policy-making body, and this would
correspond to the board of directors in a company.  Soka Gakkai then, has
gained wide reputation as a mammonth organization with many directors.
Although there is only one Chief Director,  there are twenty-five  General  Managers,
 fifty~seven  Vice-Chief Directors, 558 members of Directors and 591 members of
Assistant Directors bringing the total number to 1,232-quite a sizeable group!  How
does such a large group function?  By the increase in the staff, what is essentially a
kind of dictatorial control over the membership is perhaps made possible.  The staff
organization itself, composed of rank and file members, is a big feature of Soka
Gakkai. It is no exaggeration to say that in this type organization there is no place
or value for a council system.