Nihon Hidankyo: Japan anti-nuke group wins Nobel Peace Prize

The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday named Japanese anti-nuclear organization Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as the winner of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.

The aging survivors of the two nuclear detonations, known as "hibakusha," continue to campaign for a nuclear arms ban as they push to keep alive their efforts among younger generations.

What the Nobel Committee said

Joergen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the award was made as the "taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure."

Watne Frydnes said the award was made to the group "for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again."

"This year's prize is a prize that focuses on the necessity of upholding this nuclear taboo. And we have all a responsibility, particularly the nuclear powers," Watne Frydnes told reporters.

He said testimonies of the survivors of the cities bombed at the end of World War II had made a "unique" contribution to generating "widespread opposition to nuclear weapons around the world."

Watne Frydnes said the committee "wishes to honor all survivors who, despite physical suffering and painful memories, have chosen to use their costly experience to cultivate hope and engagement for peace."

As it made the announcement, the committee warned of growing concerns as "new countries appear to be prepared to acquire nuclear weapons."

Responding to a question about whether rhetoric from Russia about the use of nuclear weapons had influenced the decision, Watne Frydnes said such threats put pressure on the norm of non-use.   

"It is alarming to see how threats of use is also damaging this norm. To uphold an international strong taboo against the use is crucial for all of humanity," he added.

Toshiyuki Mimaki, the co-head of  Nihon Hidankyo, expressed his surprise at being given the award.

"Never did I dream this could happen," Mimaki told reporters with tears in his eyes. He said the win would be "a great force to appeal to the world that the abolition of nuclear weapons and everlasting peace can be achieved."

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said the award was "extremely meaningful."

Facts about the Nobel Peace Prize

Prize founder Alfred Nobel stated in his will that the prize should be awarded for "the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

The prize is awarded in Oslo — the only one of six annual Nobel prizes not to be awarded in Stockholm — as decreed by Nobel.

Notable Nobel Peace laureates include imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, who was awarded the prize last year, and human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the Russian human rights group Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties, who were collectively awarded the prize in 2022.

The Nobel prizes carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million).

This year, the prize was announced against a backdrop of devastating conflicts, notably in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan. In total, 286 candidates were nominated, including 197 individuals and 89 organizations.

Other Nobel winners in medicine, physics, chemistry and literature have already been announced this week. The Nobel season ends Monday with the announcement of the winner of the economics prize.

rc/rmt (AFP, dpa)