- Nihon Hidankyo wins 2024 Nobel Peace Prize
- Group raises awareness about nuclear dangers
- Hiroshima, Nagasaki survivors share testimony globally
Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors, has received the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.
The hibakusha are survivors of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has honored its efforts to free the world of nuclear weapons.
Nobel Committee Chair Joergen Watne Frydnes stated that the organization “contributed greatly to the establishment of the nuclear taboo.”
Mr Frydnes cautioned that the “nuclear taboo” was “under pressure” and praised the group’s use of witness testimony to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again.
Founded in 1956, the organization sends survivors across the world to tell their accounts of the “atrocious damage” and suffering caused by the use of nuclear weapons, according to its website.
Their effort began over a decade after the catastrophe of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
According to its website, the group has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize “many times,” notably in 2005, when it received a special mention from the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
On August 6, 1945, a US aircraft dropped a uranium bomb over the city of Hiroshima, killing around 140,000.
Three days later, a second nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Two weeks later, Japan surrendered, ending World War II.
The group’s co-head, Toshiyuki Mimaki, told reporters in Japan, “Never did I dream this could happen,” the AFP news agency reports.
Mr Mimaki criticized the notion that nuclear weapons promote peace. “Nuclear weapons are claimed to keep the globe at peace. According to AFP, Mr Mimaki stated that terrorists can utilize atomic weapons.
In a BBC interview last year, he stated that although he was just three years old at the time of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, he could still recall disoriented and burned survivors escaping past his home.
The prize, which includes a diploma, a gold medal, and a grant of $1 million (£765,800), will be handed out at ceremonies in Oslo in December to commemorate the death of the scientist and prize originator Alfred Nobel.
The decision to recognize Nihon Hidankyo indicates that the Nobel committee has shied away from more contentious applicants for the peace Prize.
There was significant speculation that the United Nations organization that helps Palestinians, UNWRA, was being considered for the prize.
Although the organization is the primary provider of humanitarian supplies to Gazan civilians, nine of its members were sacked for alleged involvement in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 of last year.
More than 12,000 people had signed a petition requesting the committee not to grant UNWRA the prize.
There were also worries about the nomination of the International Court of Justice.
The UN’s principal judicial organ is now investigating charges that Israel committed genocide in Gaza and has already issued a statement advising Israeli authorities to stop such conduct.
However, awarding the medal to Nihon Hidankyo may be a noncontroversial decision. However, it may also draw global attention to the prospect of nuclear conflict, which overshadows the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its leaders have frequently warned that they may be willing to deploy tactical nuclear weapons if Western allies boost their support for Ukraine in ways that Russia finds intolerable.
These threats have succeeded in limiting Western assistance because of fears of escalation.
In the Middle East, much of Israel’s strategy is based on the idea that Iran is pursuing nuclear capabilities, which Tehran rejects.
The Nobel committee’s decision might reignite discussion about the deployment of nuclear weapons at a time when several countries envy its deterrent potential.
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This year’s Peace Prize had 286 nominations, including 197 individuals and 89 groups.
Candidates can be nominated by people with substantial authority, such as members of national assemblies, governments, and international tribunals of law.
Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian human rights activist, received the medal in 2023 for her efforts to combat women’s oppression in Iran.
Ms Mohammadi is presently detained in Tehran’s Evin prison after serving various sentences relating to her advocacy over 12 years.
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