Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese atomic bomb survivors' organisation, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for its relentless efforts to achieve a world without nuclear weapons.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee honoured the group "for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again," said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, the committee’s chair, during the award announcement at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo.
This award comes as the world approaches the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States in August 1945, which killed an estimated 120,000 people. The committee expressed its desire to recognise all survivors of these bombings, known as Hibakusha, who, despite their suffering and painful memories, have dedicated themselves to promoting peace and nuclear disarmament.
Tomoyuki Mimaki, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo and a Hiroshima bombing survivor, expressed disbelief upon receiving the news at Hiroshima City Hall. "Is it really true? Unbelievable!" he said, adding that the prize would greatly boost the group’s efforts to demonstrate that nuclear disarmament is achievable.
Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull reported from Oslo, stating that the committee’s choice reflects the global context of ongoing conflicts, particularly in relation to nuclear tensions in Russia, Ukraine, and Iran.
In a statement, the committee lauded Nihon Hidankyo's work, saying, "They help us to describe the indescribable, to think the unthinkable, and to grasp the incomprehensible pain and suffering caused by nuclear weapons."
Kazumi Matsui, the mayor of Hiroshima, noted that the Hibakusha are aging, and fewer survivors remain to testify about the horrors of nuclear weapons and their moral evil. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres praised the Hibakusha’s resilience, calling their efforts "the backbone of the global nuclear disarmament movement."
The award to Nihon Hidankyo comes at a time of increasing nuclear threats, as nuclear powers modernise their arsenals and other nations seek to acquire nuclear weapons. Frydnes commended the group’s role in establishing a global "nuclear taboo" but warned that ongoing threats are weakening this norm.
Source:
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