A Japanese anti-nuclear weapons group made up of survivors of the atomic bombings in Japan during World War II has won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.
In awarding this year’s prize to Nihon Hidankyo, the Nobel Committee said it is sending a message to those countries threatening the long-held taboo against the use of nuclear weapons.
Nobel Committee Chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes said Nihon Hidankyo, made up of survivors of the August 1945 nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nakasaki , had been instrumental in the global movement that has kept nuclear weapons from being used in conflict for 80 years.“These historical witnesses have helped to generate and consolidate widespread opposition to nuclear weapons around the world by drawing on personal stories, creating educational campaigns based on their own experience and issuing urgent warnings against the spread of nuclear weapons,” he said.
Frydnes said thanks to their work, nuclear weapons have been stigmatized as morally unacceptable. But he added that the long-held nuclear taboo is now under pressure.“The nuclear powers are modernizing and upgrading their arsenals,” he said. “New countries appear to be preparing to acquire weapons, and threats are being made to use nuclear weapons as part of ongoing warfare.”
At a press conference in Hiroshima, Nihon Hidankyo’s co-chair, Toshiyuki Mimaki , 81, held back tears and pinched his cheeks when the award was announced. “I can’t believe it’s real” he told reporters.
Mimaki is a Hiroshima survivor and said the award helped recoqnise the groups work. “It would be a great force to appeal to the world that the abolition of nuclear weapons can be achieved.”
He said the idea that nuclear weapons bring peace to the world is wrong. “It has been said that because of nuclear weapons, the world maintains peace. But nuclear weapons can be used by terrorists,” he said.
