With Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni in attendance, the birth of Buddha was commemorated on April 8 at Sampozan Muryojuji Temple, the head temple of the Nenbutsushu Buddhist Sect of Japan, in Kato, Hyogo Prefecture.
Nearly four years ago, supreme Buddhist leaders from 41 countries spanning five continents gathered at the same temple during the Sixth Buddhist Summit and designated the date as International Buddhist Day in December 2014 for a global celebration of Buddha's birth.
About 148,000 people attended this year's ceremony held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the organizer of the event, Buddhist Summit, the World Buddhist Supreme Conference Headquarters. They included those from Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Canada, Myanmar and Australia.