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A grassroots organization from Japan, comprised of survivors of the atomic bomb, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, as announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday.
Nihon Hidankyo uses personal accounts from those who experienced the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 to advocate for nuclear disarmament and the eradication of nuclear weapons.
During the announcement in Oslo, Nobel committee chair Joergen Watne Frydnes praised Nihon Hidankyo for significantly contributing to what he referred to as the “nuclear taboo.”
He also noted that this taboo is currently “under threat.”
The Nobel committee often selects peace prize recipients to convey a message to administrations and encourage global cooperation on urgent matters.
In 2023, Iranian human rights champion Narges Mohammadi received the prize for her fight for human rights and the empowerment of women in Iran. This year, the committee seems to recognize the growing concerns regarding nuclear threats from Russia, particularly in relation to Western support for Ukraine.
A recent book by Bob Woodward, the Watergate journalist, alleges that Russian President Vladimir Putin has contemplated using nuclear weapons to evade significant losses on the battlefield. According to Woodward, U.S. intelligence assessed that there was a 50% chance of Putin deploying tactical nuclear weapons if Ukrainian forces encircled 30,000 Russian troops in Kherson.
Nihon Hidankyo and expressing ‘the indescribable’
The United States is the only nation to have used nuclear weapons against an adversary.
At precisely 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, an American Boeing B-29 named “Enola Gay” released a 9,700-pound uranium bomb called “Little Boy” over Hiroshima, killing approximately 70,000 people instantly and affecting a wide area.
Just three days later, on August 9 at 11:02 a.m., a second atomic bomb, “Fat Man,” was dropped on Nagasaki. This bomb caused immediate fatalities of around 40,000, with total deaths reaching about 140,000 within five years according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s historical estimates. By 1950, the death toll from Hiroshima is believed to have reached around 200,000 as survivors succumbed to severe injuries, radiation sickness, and various cancers. On August 14, 1945, Japan capitulated, effectively concluding World War II.
The Norwegian committee emphasized that Nihon Hidankyo’s efforts have “fostered and solidified widespread opposition to nuclear weapons globally by sharing personal accounts, leading educational initiatives based on these experiences, and alerting people about the dangers and proliferation of nuclear arms.”
They pointed out that “hibakusha” — the term used in Japan for survivors of the atomic bombings — “help us articulate the unfathomable, contemplate the unimaginable, and somehow understand the profound suffering caused by nuclear arms.”
