Tens of thousands of people, including various dignitaries from Africa, celebrated the birth of Buddha on April 8 at Sampozan Muryojuji Temple, the head temple of the Nenbutsushu Buddhist Sect of Japan, in Kato, Hyogo Prefecture.

For a global commemoration of Buddha's birth, the date was designated as International Buddhist Day in December 2014 by supreme Buddhist leaders from 41 countries on five continents during the Sixth Buddhist Summit held at the same temple.

The occasion was also marked in 46 other countries, according to the organizer, Buddhist Summit, the World Buddhist Supreme Conference Headquarters.