This year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners are a group of Japanese atomic bomb survivors whose experiences and lobbying efforts have touched hearts and minds around the world.

For nearly seven decades, the Japanese Confederation of Atomic and Hydrogen Bomb Survivors, Nihon Hidankyo, has been a consistent and persistent voice for survivors of the atomic bombings that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The group’s educational and lobbying efforts were recognized with the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. Two senior NHK commentators, Kiyonaga Satoshi and Kamoshida Go, explain the meaning of the victory.

What does Nihon Hidankyo do?

Kiyonaga Satoshi (NHK Senior Peace Reporter):

Nihon Hidankyo was founded in 1956, 11 years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
　　
Since then, the Japanese organization has been calling on the world for the abolition of nuclear weapons from the perspective of atomic bomb survivors, known as hibakusha, and supporting those who suffered from the effects of the bombings.
　　
The group played a key role in the 2017 conference to negotiate the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which legally prohibits the development, possession, testing and use of nuclear weapons. Members collected nearly 3 million signatures in support of the treaty and helped push for its passage.

Following the adoption of the Nihon, Hidankyo continued to collect signatures in support of the International Signature Campaign for the Hibakusha Call for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, which called on all countries to participate in the TPNW. The agreement came into force in 2021.

Nihon Hidankyo focuses on two main activities. First, he called on the Japanese government to provide support to the atomic bomb survivors.

In 1957, a year after its creation, the Atomic Bomb Survivors Medical Assistance Act was passed, followed by the Special Measures Act in 1968. In 1994, the so-called Atomic Bomb Survivors Assistance Act was adopted. There were problems with the recognition of atomic bomb survivors, but gradually a system was created.

The group’s second important role is to promote nuclear disarmament and raise awareness of the horrors of nuclear weapons. One of the reasons the Norwegian Nobel Committee gave the award this year was “his efforts to create a world free of nuclear weapons and to demonstrate through testimony that nuclear weapons should never be used again.”

For some time after World War II, there was widespread misunderstanding and prejudice about the effects of the atomic bombings, and no legal support existed for survivors.

Momentum builds following Bikini Atoll tests

In 1954, the crew of the Japanese fishing vessel Daigo Fukuryu Maru was exposed to large amounts of so-called “death ash” while the United States was testing a hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

The campaign to ban atomic and hydrogen bombs began to gain momentum in Japan, leading to the formation of the Nihon Hidankyo.

The group said humanity must not allow the suffering and sacrifice of the atomic bomb victims to be repeated. The Hibakusha were finally able to stand up, encouraged by growing public opinion.

“No more Hiroshima, no more Nagasaki”

In 1982, Yamaguchi Senji, then a member of the Nihon Hidankyo Representative Committee, became the first atomic bomb survivor to stand at the podium at the United Nations.

Yamaguchi was 14 years old when he was exposed to the atomic bomb in Nagasaki. During his heartfelt address to the UN, he showed a photograph of his burns and made his memorable appeal: “No more Hiroshima, no more Nagasaki, no more war, no more hibakusha.”

Yamaguchi Senji, member of the Nihon Hidankyo Representative Committee, speaking before the United Nations in 1982.

The long-running Nihon Hidankyo campaign included many members who have since passed away, such as Yamaguchi, who played a key role in helping the world understand the hibakusha experience. Through successive initiatives such as photo exhibitions at UN headquarters and around the world, the term hibakusha has gained international recognition.

Growing Nuclear Threat

Kamoshida Go (NHK Senior UN and Disarmament Negotiations Reporter):

　　
The reason why Nihon Hidaniko, whose members have experienced the effects of nuclear weapons, was awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is because the threat of nuclear weapons is greater now than ever. At the same time, international negotiations on nuclear disarmament have stalled.
　　
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began two years ago, Russia has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons. It has conducted exercises involving the use of tactical nuclear weapons, and in September President Vladimir Putin unveiled a draft revised nuclear doctrine that effectively lowers the threshold for using these weapons.

A member of the cabinet of Israel, which is considered a de facto nuclear power, even claims that one of the options for a war against Hamas could be a nuclear bombing of the Gaza Strip.

In Iran, which appears to be heading towards war with Israel, hardliners are calling for the development of nuclear weapons as a countermeasure against Israel.

And North Korea is ignoring UN Security Council resolutions and pushing forward with its nuclear and missile weapons programs, as if taking advantage of differences in the council between Western countries on the one hand and Russia and China on the other.

Meanwhile, discussions between the signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which became the basis for nuclear disarmament, have reached a deadlock. The Review Conference has failed to adopt a consensus document twice, in 2015 and 2022, and international nuclear disarmament has stalled.

In 2017, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for its efforts to achieve the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. It is widely believed that no further awards related to nuclear disarmament will be given out in the near future. This year, many expected the award to go to an international organization or human rights group involved in the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine or the Middle East.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee noted that “there are threats of the use of nuclear weapons in the ongoing war,” and Chairman Jørgen Fridnes explained this year’s selection by saying that the current threat of nuclear weapons means world leaders must listen to the voices of the Nobel Committee. survivors of the atomic bombing.

He paid special tribute to the survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their work to eliminate nuclear weapons.

Jørgen Fridnes, Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, announced the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nihon Hidankyo.

Turning point

Kiyonaga:

According to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of people affected by the atomic bombings was 106,825 as of the end of March 2024. The average age is 85.58 years.

Each of Japan’s 47 prefectures once had an atomic bomb survivors’ organization, but 11 of these groups have folded or suspended their activities.

At the Nihon Hidankyo’s regular general meeting in June of this year, it was suggested that “in order to continue the movement as atomic bomb survivors mature, it is necessary to involve the second generation of atomic bomb survivors and supporters.”

Members committed to a policy of “deepening discussion about the future of the movement after the passing of atomic bomb survivors.”

Meanwhile, the younger generation, including schoolchildren who act as peace ambassadors, continue their activities.

One day there will be no more survivors of the atomic bomb. The question of how the movement will develop in the future must be resolved now.

The Hibakusha pin their hopes on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which entered into force three years ago. However, the Japanese government has not yet ratified the treaty and is not participating in the Conference of the Parties. On the occasion of this prestigious award, it is time for the Government to heed the long-standing efforts and wishes for the abolition of nuclear weapons, while remembering the legacy of those who have passed on.

Almost 80 years since the disaster

Kamoshida:

Wars in the Middle East and Ukraine show no signs of resolution, and many argue that the world is further apart than it has been since the end of the Cold War. This dire situation has led to speculation that there may be no Peace Prize winner this year.

News of the decision to present the award to survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who deeply understand the horrors of nuclear weapons and have dedicated many years to advocating for their elimination, has resonated around the world.

This award is a wake-up call for the international community, which is struggling with the threat of nuclear weapons and the theory of nuclear deterrence.

Kiyonaga:

Next year marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing.

We must ensure that the atomic bomb survivors’ call for global solidarity never fades as we strive to eliminate nuclear weapons from the planet. The Nobel Peace Prize could serve as a catalyst.