Japanese Atomic Bomb Survivors Awarded Nobel Peace Prize for Nuclear Disarmament Efforts

The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots Japanese organization of atomic bomb survivors, for their tireless efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons, CNN reports.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has commended the winner “for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.”

Nihon Hidankyo, also known as Hibakusha, was formed by survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

The committee stressed the importance of their first-hand accounts, stating that “one day, the atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki will no longer be among us as witnesses to history,” but “with a strong culture of remembrance and continued commitment, new generations in Japan are carrying forward the experience and the message of the witnesses.”

The Nobel Committee lauded the organization’s role in upholding the nuclear taboo, a key factor in maintaining peace for humanity.

Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), expressed his delight at the Hibakusha receiving the Nobel Prize. He echoed the sentiment of former Soviet and US leaders Gorbachev and Reagan, saying that “nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought.”