Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Japanese atomic bomb survivors' group
This grassroots movement has received the peace prize for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize to the Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo.
This grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been awarded the peace prize for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.
Formed in 1956, Nihon Hidankyo, also known as Hibakusha, is the largest and most influential organisation of atomic bomb survivors in Japan. Its mission has been to raise global awareness of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons.
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Using experience to cultivate hope
The committee said it wanted to “honour all atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki who, despite physical suffering and painful memories, have chosen to use their costly experience to cultivate hope and engagement for peace”.
“One day, the atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki will no longer be among us as witnesses to history,” the committee said, announcing its decision in Oslo on Friday.
“But with a strong culture of remembrance and continued commitment, new generations in Japan are carrying forward the experience and the message of the witnesses,” it said.
The committee showered praise on Nihon Hidankyo for its concerted effort to maintain the nuclear taboo, which it said was “a precondition of a peaceful future for humanity.”
‘Nuclear taboo under pressure’
It said the decision highlighted an encouraging fact that no nuclear weapon has been used in war in nearly 80 years. However, it conceded that this year’s prize has been awarded when “this taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure.”
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“The extraordinary efforts of Nihon Hidankyo and other representatives of the Hibakusha have contributed greatly to the establishment of the nuclear taboo. It is therefore alarming that today this taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure,” it said.
Announcing the prize, Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the committee, said: “The stories and testimonies of the Hibakusha is an important reminder of how unacceptable is the use of nuclear weapons.”