About Us

The Institute of Oriental Philosophy (IOP) is dedicated to advancing scholarly inquiry into Buddhism and other world religions to clarify their universal value, to integrate them into humanity's rich spiritual heritage in the modern age and to solve myriad problems facing humanity today.

On January 27, 1962, the Institute of Oriental Studies was founded in Shinjuku ward, Tokyo for the sake of clarifying the relevance of Buddhism and other world religions in the modern world. In November of the same year, the institute launched The Journal of Oriental Studies, a scholarly publication of essays. The institute was recognized as a nonprofit foundation under Japanese law in December 1965, at which time the name was changed to the Institute of Oriental Philosophy (IOP). In 1986, the IOP moved to its present location on the campus of Soka University, and since 1987, it has published an English-language edition of its journal on an annual basis. On November 9, 2010, the IOP was recognized as a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation under Japanese law. It has exchange and collaborative agreements with universities and research institutions worldwide.