Fighting nukes: Nihon Hidankyo deserves the Nobel

The Nobel Peace Prize 2024 has been awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as hibakusha. At a time,when the world is grappled with conflicts, the Nobel Prize Committee found it difficult tofind one individual who could have qualified for the prestigious award for Peace.

But theNobel Committee found an activist organisation to recognise it as a champion of Peace.Though the Atom Bomb dropped by the US on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 79 years ago, the horror and destruction has not been forgotten by the Japanese and the people in the rest ofthe world. This year the Nobel Committee was pained and felt the need to award the Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo for its activism against nuclear weapons. Jorgen Watne Frydnes,Chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee, stated that the award was made as the “taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure.’’ This recognition of the Prize-winning organisation is welcome and most appropriate as the fate of those who survived the the inferno of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were long concealed and neglected.

The Nobel committee’s decision should serve as eye opener and warning to the myopicbelligerent leaders who are constantly threatening to use the devastating N-weapons. It isalso sad that the leaders of the civilised nations are least bothered about N-disarmament. Most of the nuclear powers are using the excuse of ‘peaceful use of nuclear’ programme to develop, modernise and upgrade their arsenals; new countries appear to be preparing toacquire nuclear weapons; and threats are being made to use nuclear weapons in the ongoingwarfare. This needs to end. The N-nations, particularly the US, should look at the 2024 Peace Prize award as a pointer to the need to eliminate or limit developing and using deadliest N-weapons. This is important as next year will mark 80 years since two American atomicbombs killed an estimated 120 000 inhabitants of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A comparable number died of burn and radiation injuries in the months and years that followed. Today’s nuclear weapons have far greater destructive power.

They can kill millions and wouldimpact the climate catastrophically. A nuclear war could destroy our civilisation. It should also be noted that Nihon Hidankyo’s relevance to future generations cannot be overstated. The organisation’s work is rooted in the harrowing experiences of thehibakusha, who have shared their storiesto educate and advocate for nuclear disarmament. Their testimonies serve a stark reminder of horrors of N-weapons.When the world is facing new threats and challenges and when nuclear powers are modernising their arsenals and new countries are seeking to acquire N-capabilities, Nihon Hidankyo’s mission is more critical than ever. Their efforts to raise awareness, educate thepublic and advocate for disarmament are essential in carrying forward the momentum towards a nuclearfree world. Nihon Hidankyo’s work is not only relevant but essential for future generations, as it underscores the need to prevent the horrors of nuclear warfare and strive for a worldwhere such weapons are consigned to history. Therefore, the testimony of the hibakusha-the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki- is unique in this larger context.

These historical witnesses have helped to generate and consolidate widespread opposition to nuclear weapons around the world by drawing on personal stories, creating educational campaigns based on their own experience, and issuing urgent warnings against the spread and use of nuclear weapons. The Hibakusha help us to describe the indescribable, to think the unthinkable, and to somehow grasp the incomprehensible pain and suffering caused bynuclear weapons. Nations should wake up to prevent catastrophic consequences of N- warfare. Congratulations Nihon Hidankyo for winning the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize!