Japanese Atomic Bomb Survivors’ Group Nihon Hidankyo Wins 2024 Nobel Peace Prize

Japanese Atomic Bomb Survivors: Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese atomic bomb survivors’ group, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize “for the work towards a world free of nuclear weapons”.

The group received the award “for showing through testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again”, said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo on Friday.

Frydnes mentioned the 80th anniversary of the US dropping two nuclear bombs on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 which killed 120,000 people.

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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”.

Tomoyuki Mimaki, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, was at Hiroshima City Hall when he heard the news.

“Is it really true? Unbelievable!” said the survivor of the Hiroshima bombing.

Mimaki said the award would be a big help to the group’s work to show that nuclear weapons can be abolished.

“It would be a great force to appeal to the world that the abolition of nuclear weapons can be achieved,” he said.

From Oslo, Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull said the five-member committee made “a safe choice” but “the world is at war and especially nuclear issues are not just in Russia or Ukraine but also in Iran”.

“One of the points of speculation was that they might not want to award this prize at all this year as has been done 19 times since it was inaugurated in the late 19th century, including during both world wars as a statement about the world at war,” he said.

Hibakusha are the survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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Lauding the work of Nihon Hidankyo, the committee said: “They help us to describe the indescribable, to think the unthinkable, and to somehow grasp the incomprehensible pain and suffering caused by nuclear weapons.”

Kazumi Matsui, the mayor of Hiroshima, said: “Hibakusha are fast ageing, and there are fewer and fewer people able to testify to the meaninglessness of possessing atomic bombs and their absolute evil.”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the “relentless work and resilience of the Hibakusha are the backbone of the global nuclear disarmament movement”.

The award was given to Nihon Hidankyo at a time when nuclear powers are modernising and upgrading their arsenals, new countries are getting nuclear weapons and threats are being made to use nuclear weapons in ongoing wars.

Frydnes praised “the tremendous work” of Nihon Hidankyo to “build the nuclear taboo” but said “threats of use” are “undermining this norm”. He didn’t name any countries.

Mimaki said nuclear weapons bring peace is “a lie”.

“It has been said that because of nuclear weapons, the world maintains peace. But nuclear weapons can be used by terrorists,” he said.

“For example, if Russia uses them against Ukraine, Israel against Gaza, it won’t end there. Politicians should know these things.”

Frydnes said nuclear war would “destroy our civilisation”.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the award to Nihon Hidankyo is a “strong signal”.

“Today’s nuclear weapons have far greater destructive power. They can kill millions and would impact the climate catastrophically,” he said.

Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Human Rights Office, said: “To us, it’s recognition of the importance of grassroots organisations, and in particular survivors of horrific violations for their tireless and persistent work, often away from the spotlight without much recognition, with a lot of obstacles, with not always a tremendous amount of resources at their disposal.”

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba welcomed the win. “It’s extremely meaningful that the organisation that has worked toward abolishing nuclear weapons received the Nobel Peace Prize,” he said.

“The spectre of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still looms over humanity. This makes the advocacy of Nihon Hidankyo invaluable. This Nobel Peace Prize sends a powerful message. We have the duty to remember. And an even greater duty to protect the next generations from the horrors of nuclear war,” von der Leyen said on X.

Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian women’s rights activist who is in jail, won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her courage to defend women in Iran and her relentless fight for social change.

The peace prize is the only one awarded in Oslo – the others are in Stockholm.

There were 286 nominees – 197 individuals and 89 organisations. The Norwegian Nobel Committee keeps the names secret for 50 years but those who are eligible to nominate can reveal who they have nominated.

The prize comes with a cash award of 11 million Swedish krona ($1.1m) from Alfred Nobel’s bequest. The winners will receive the medal on December 10.

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