Nihon Hidankyo Awarded Nobel Peace Prize for Nuclear Disarmament Efforts

The Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo announced on Friday that the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese grassroots confederation of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki known as Hibakusha, recognizing nearly seven decades of tireless moral advocacy against nuclear weapons.

Founded in 1956, Nihon Hidankyo emerged as the largest national organization representing survivors of the August 1945 atomic bombings, uniting survivors to document catastrophic suffering and advocate relentlessly for a nuclear-weapon-free world.

Seven Decades of Moral Witness Against Atomic Catastrophe

Through personal testimonies, educational campaigns, and international diplomatic delegations to the United Nations, the aging Hibakusha have transformed private tragedy into universal moral leadership, establishing the powerful global norm that nuclear weapons are morally unacceptable.

The Nobel Committee emphasized that this crucial taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is now facing unprecedented pressure, with major nuclear powers modernizing arsenals and threatening nuclear escalation amid ongoing regional conflicts.

“The Hibakusha help us to describe the indescribable, to think the unthinkable, and to grasp the incomprehensible pain and suffering caused by nuclear weapons.” — Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee

Upholding the Nuclear Taboo Amid Modern Global Threats

Reacting to the announcement in Tokyo, emotional representatives of Nihon Hidankyo stated that the award belongs to all Hibakusha who passed away before witnessing the abolition of atomic weapons, vowing to continue their campaign until true global disarmament is achieved.

The 11 million Swedish kronor peace prize will be formally presented to Nihon Hidankyo leadership in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, delivering a resounding message to world leaders to reject nuclear war.

Sources

• Norwegian Nobel Committee
• Nihon Hidankyo