The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize to the Japan Confederation of A-Bomb Victims Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), recognizing their tireless efforts to promote nuclear disarmament and their powerful testimonies as survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Nobel Committee, highlighted the organization’s commitment to nuclear disarmament, emphasizing the importance of their “testimonies that demonstrate the necessity of never using nuclear weapons again.” This highlights the influence of atomic bomb survivors’ testimonies on the international community.
Established in 1956, Nihon Hidankyo is a national organization representing the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. For nearly 70 years, the organization has tirelessly campaigned for the abolition of nuclear weapons, continuously sharing survivors’ experiences and organizing exhibitions of atomic bomb photographs around the world.
A key moment in their advocacy came during the negotiations for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons when Nihon Hidankyo gathered approximately 3 million signatures in support of the treaty. This treaty took effect in January 2021, and Reiss-Andersen praised the survivors for their persistent efforts, stating that they contributed to establishing an international norm against the use of nuclear weapons.
This marks the first Nobel Peace Prize awarded to a Japanese individual or organization in 50 years since former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato received the honor in 1974 for his declaration of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and signing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Upon hearing the news, Tomoyuki Minomaki, representative commissioner of Nihon Hidankyo, reaffirmed the organization’s mission. “We want to continue appealing to the world for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of permanent peace,” he said.
The Nobel Committee has consistently supported nuclear disarmament initiatives, awarding the Peace Prize to former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009 for advocating a “world without nuclear weapons” and to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) in 2017.
However, the global landscape today is increasingly fraught with nuclear threats. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s expanding nuclear capabilities, North Korea’s ongoing development of nuclear weapons, and heightened tensions between Israel and Iran all contribute to the rising danger. Reiss-Andersen warned that the international taboo against nuclear weapons is under pressure, making Nihon Hidankyo’s efforts all the more urgent and relevant.
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