The Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 has been awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization representing the survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima-Nagasaki, which works tirelessly to achieve the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.
The Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2023 was awarded to Iranian human rights advocate Narges Mohammadi, who belonged to a minority group.
She was awarded for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and for her struggle to promote human rights and freedom for all.
Nihon Hidankyo:
Founded on August 10, 1956, the organization is made up of survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States in 1945.
The survivors, called “hibakusha” or “bomb-affected people,” played a key role in leading the global movement aimed at eliminating nuclear weapons.
The nuclear attack on Japan:
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped a bomb called “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, resulting in destruction.
More than 70,000 people died instantly and the death toll eventually exceeded 100,000.
On August 9, 1945, even before the destruction of Hiroshima was known, the US dropped a nuclear device called “Fat Man” on Nagasaki, resulting in the immediate deaths of at least 40,000 people and thousands more over the next few days and weeks.
Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender of Japan on August 15. In his speech, he warned that continuing the war would “lead to the collapse and destruction of the Japanese nation” which could lead to the “total destruction of human civilization.”
How Hibakusha supports nuclear disarmament:
Due to severe human damage, the United States’ decision to drop the atomic bomb has been criticized from both tactical and moral points of view.
Nuclear bombings changed the global landscape, making major powers focused on developing their own nuclear arsenals as a deterrent against the United States.
As a result of this development of nuclear weapons, a global movement for nuclear disarmament emerged, in which hibakusha played an important role in supporting disarmament.
Nihon Hidankyo claims to be “the only nationwide organization of atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
Their primary objectives include promoting the welfare of the hibakusha, insisting on the abolition of nuclear weapons, and demanding fair compensation for the victims.
The organization has focused on sharing experiences of hibakusha to raise awareness of the damage and after-effects of nuclear bombings in Japan and internationally.
His efforts to tell the stories of survivors of nuclear explosions by sending them to the United Nations, nuclear-armed states and other countries were mentioned in the Nobel citation.
Organizations such as Nihon Hidankyo have contributed to establishing the nuclear prohibition, which has prohibited the use of nuclear weapons since 1945.
Other organisations / individuals awarded for nuclear disarmament:
Since 1901, several Nobel Peace Prizes have been awarded for disarmament efforts.
In 1974, former Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato was awarded the prize for Japan’s dedication to a non-nuclear weapons policy.
Most recently, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in 2017 to the International Campaign to Abolish nuclear weapons (ICAN) for its efforts to highlight the dire humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons and for pioneering work towards a treaty to ban such weapons.
ICAN has collaborated with Nihon Hidankyo to document the effects of nuclear weapons.
