News Nobel Peace Prize for atomic bomb survivors' group

Nihon Hidankyo (日本被団協), a Japanese organization representing atomic bomb survivors, has been awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for its tireless efforts to promote nuclear disarmament. Founded in 1956 by survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, the group has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the devastating human consequences of nuclear weapons. Through their witness testimonies, they have helped to shape a powerful international norm that stigmatizes the use of nuclear weapons as morally unacceptable.

This is the second time a Japanese person or organization has won the Nobel Peace Prize, following former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in 1974. The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Nihon Hidankyo for its significant contribution to global peace and security.

Speaking to the media after receiving the award, Tomoyuki Minomaki, president of Nihon Hidankyo, expressed his gratitude, saying, "I am glad we received the award while [the members and himself] are still in good health." Regarding the prize, "I hope that people around the world will pay attention and that Japanese politicians will come to the conclusion that nuclear weapons should be eliminated. All Japanese people want peace." He mentioned the expanding nuclear threat, including the one by Russia amid the war in Ukraine, and said, "The United Nations should lead the way in calling for a world without nuclear weapons."

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Today, Nihon Hidankyo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. The organization hopes this recognition will revitalize the global movement to eliminate nuclear weapons, especially amid rising geopolitical tensions that have raised fears of their potential use. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited their efforts to create a nuclear-free world and their powerful firsthand accounts of the devastating impact of atomic weapons.

Terumi Tanaka, the 92-year-old co-chair of the organization, delivered a speech at the ceremony, sharing his personal experiences of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki at the age of 13 and emphasising the organization's long history of activism for nuclear abolition.

Among the delegation of 30 people, including 17 hibakusha who are survivors of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of either Hiroshima or Nagasaki, Tanaka is the oldest while the youngest is Mitsuhiro Hayashida, the 32-year-old grandson of a hibakusha. The group also includes representatives of survivor groups from South Korea and Brazil.

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