Nihon Hidankyō, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, receives the Peace Prize for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. They are also given it to demonstrate through witness statements that nuclear weapons must never be used again, the justification states. – I never dreamed that we would receive the Nobel Prize, says Toshiyuki Mimaki to the AFP news agency. He is one of the leaders of the organization Nihon Hidankyō. – The idea that nuclear weapons bring peace is a delusion, says Mimaki. He points out that it has been said that the world is at peace because of nuclear weapons, but recalls that they can be used by terrorists. – If Russia uses them in Ukraine, for example, there will be no end to it. Politicians must be aware of such things, he says. He also said that children in the Gaza Strip now live in conditions reminiscent of Japan at the end of World War II. – It is like in Japan 80 years ago, he said. Nihon Hidankyō’s general secretary Sueichi Kido attends a protest in Tokyo on March 18, 2022. Photo: Torin Boyd / Polaris / NTB Was 2 kilometers away from the bomb Nihon Hidankyō’s general secretary Sueichi Kido was born in Nagasaki on January 21, 1940. He was five years old when the atomic bomb hit Nagasaki. He was 2 kilometers from the center of the explosion, and was blown more than 20 meters away by the powerful explosion and lost consciousness. The atomic mushroom over Nagasaki, from the US atomic bomb “Fat man”. Hiroshima one month after the US dropped the atomic bomb. A mother breastfeeds her baby burned by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.Jinpe Teravama, a survivor of the bomb, photographed in 1947. The remains of a building in Horshima. – When I came to myself, I did not recognize my mother’s face. It was completely burned and she couldn’t see, he said in an interview with CBS in 2016. The atomic bomb over Nagasaki killed more than 70,000 people. SURVIVOR OF THE ATOMIC BOMB: General Secretary Sueichi Kido of the organization Nihon Hidankyō. Photo: JOE KLAMAR / AFP – Extraordinary effort The organization has been nominated several times in the past, the first time back in 1985. The Nobel Committee pays tribute to the organization’s efforts, and looks with concern at the threats that are being presented today. – No nuclear weapons have been used in war for almost 80 years. The extraordinary efforts of the Nihon Hidankyō and other representatives of the Hibakusha have contributed greatly to the establishment of the nuclear taboo (the attitudes against nuclear weapons), the Nobel Committee’s chairman read from the justification. The Nobel Committee’s rationale for choosing Nihon Hidankyo Announcement The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 will be awarded to the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo. This popular movement of survivors of the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also called Hibakusha, receives the award for its efforts for a world free of nuclear weapons and for testifying why nuclear weapons must never be used again. In response to the August 1945 nuclear attacks, a global anti-nuclear movement has worked hard to raise awareness of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of using nuclear weapons. Gradually, an international norm has developed which stigmatizes the use of nuclear weapons as morally unacceptable. This norm is often referred to as “the nuclear taboo”. The testimony of the Hibakusha, the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is unique in this context. Through their stories, their information work based on their own experiences and their urgent warnings against the spread and use of nuclear weapons, the time witnesses have contributed to creating and consolidating widespread opposition to nuclear weapons across the globe. Hibakusha helps us describe the indescribable, think the unthinkable, and take in the unimaginable pain and suffering caused by nuclear weapons. The Norwegian Nobel Committee will nevertheless point to one bright spot: No nuclear weapons have been used in war in almost 80 years. The tireless efforts of Nihon Hidankyo and other Hibakusha representatives have greatly contributed to building “the nuclear taboo”. It is therefore worrying that the taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure today. The nuclear powers are modernizing and equipping their arsenals, new countries appear to be preparing to acquire nuclear weapons, and there are threats to use nuclear weapons as part of ongoing warfare. At this moment in human history, it is worth reminding ourselves of what nuclear weapons actually are: the most destructive weapon the world has ever seen. A nuclear war could destroy our civilization. Next year it will be 80 years since two American atomic bombs killed approximately 120,000 inhabitants in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A similar number died from fire and radiation injuries in the months and years that followed. Today’s nuclear weapons have far greater destructive power. They can kill millions and will have catastrophic consequences for the climate. The fate of those who survived the inferno in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was long concealed and neglected. In 1956, local Hibakusha associations together with victims of nuclear test explosions in the Pacific Ocean formed their own organization: The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations. The name was shortened in Japanese to Nihon Hidankyo. It became the largest and most influential Hibakusha organization in Japan. At the heart of Alfred Nobel’s vision was the belief that committed individuals can make a difference. With the Nihon Hidankyo Peace Prize, the Nobel Committee will honor all the survivors who, despite their own physical ailments and painful memories, have chosen to use their hard-earned experiences to create hope and a commitment to peace. Nihon Hidankyo has given thousands of testimonies, adopted resolutions and appeals, sent annual delegations to the United Nations and various peace conferences to remind the world of the necessity of nuclear disarmament. One day Hibakusha will no longer be with us to testify. With a strong culture of memory and a continued commitment, new generations in Japan are now carrying on the experiences and messages of the witnesses of the time. They inspire and spread knowledge to people all over the globe. In this way, they contribute to maintaining “the nuclear taboo”, which is a prerequisite for securing a peaceful future for mankind. The decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize 2024 to Nihon Hidankyo is firmly rooted in Alfred Nobel’s will. This year’s award joins a proud line of awards that the committee has previously given to advocates for nuclear disarmament and arms control. The prize fulfills Nobel’s desire to highlight efforts for the good of humanity. Oslo, 11 October 2024 – It is therefore disturbing that this taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is today under pressure. – The nuclear powers are modernizing and upgrading their arsenals. New countries appear to be preparing to acquire nuclear weapons. And threats are made to use nuclear weapons as part of ongoing warfare, said Jørgen Watne Frydnes. Until now, only the United States has used nuclear weapons. In 2017, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) received the Nobel Peace Prize. The organization collaborates with this year’s winner. During the distribution in Oslo City Hall in 2017, Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow and Nagasaki survivor Terumi Tanaka were also present. – This is absolutely fantastic. I did not see this coming, but it is so important that we continue to focus on nuclear weapons, especially in light of the threat from Russia, says Beatrice Fihn, leader of ICAN until 2023 and the one who received the award on behalf of the organization. Støre: – A necessary warning Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre congratulates on behalf of the government. – This is a weapon that no one wants to see used. The survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki know this better than anyone, which is why their testimony is so important. This is an important award, which also shows how significant the work of such a popular movement can be. – The award is a reminder of why we must continue to work for both disarmament and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. And it is a necessary warning against those who make direct threats about the use of nuclear weapons, says Støre. The Prime Minister of Japan has also commented on the award. – It is extremely significant that Nihon Hidankyo, which has long worked for the abolition of nuclear weapons, has been awarded the Nobel Prize, says Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to Reuters. Carried peace seeds Terumi Tanaka represented Nihon Hidankyō during the distribution in 2017. Together with the mayors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Tanaka brought with him to Oslo at the time seeds from trees that survived the atomic bombing of the two cities. Such trees are called hibaku-jumoku. Now one of the seeds has become a ginkgo biloba tree that stands in the Botanical Garden in Oslo, as a symbol of resilience and survival. Tanaka Terumi from Nihon Hidankyo studies the pots of peace seeds from Nagasaki and Hiroshima when he was a guest in connection with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to ICAN in 2017. The seeds were given to the Botanical Garden in Oslo and came from trees that survived the atomic bombing in 1945. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB Here you can read about those who were selected in advance as some of the favourites. Facts about criteria for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize According to Nobel’s will, the peace prize should go to the person “who has worked the most or the best for the people’s förrötrande and abolition or reduction of standing armies as well as the formation and spread of peace congresses”. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to a wide range of peace concepts and peace work, but has also been dropped 19 times. This is especially so during periods of major wars. The reason has been that there were no worthy cases or candidates among the nominees. In the first years of the peace prize – until the First World War – the prize often went to pioneers in the organized peace movement. In the interwar period, the focus shifted to active politicians who worked for peace negotiations and international agreements, but there were also awards for humanitarian work (Nansen, the League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). After the Second World War, the Peace Prize has mainly praised efforts in four main areas: arms control and disarmament, peace mediation, democracy and human rights, as well as work aimed at creating a better organized and more peaceful world. In the 21st century, the Nobel Peace Prize has also been awarded for work against environmental threats and man-made climate change. Source: NTB Interested in more foreign material? Listen to the Urix podcast: Published 11.10.2024, at 10.00 Updated 11.10.2024, at 17.19
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The organization Nihon Hidankyō receives the Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
