Nobel Peace Prize for Hibakusha

Friends have welcomed the news that Nihon Hidankyo has won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize

Quakers have welcomed the news that Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors, has won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize

‘Congratulations to the Hibakusha for winning the Nobel Peace Prize,’ Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) said on the social media platform X. ‘It is a testament to their long and dedicated work to rid the world of nuclear weapons through sharing their personal stories of the impact of a nuclear attack.’

Hibakusha is a term used for the survivors of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The group Nihon Hidankyo was founded in 1956, sending survivors around the globe to share their testimonies of the damage and suffering caused by the use of nuclear weapons.

The group was recognised by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons. The group had ‘contributed greatly to the establishment of the nuclear taboo’, Joergen Watne Frydnes, Nobel committee chair, said, although this was now ‘under pressure’. 

Toshiyuki Mimaki, the co-head of the group, said: ‘Never did I dream this could happen.’

‘It has been said that because of nuclear weapons, the world maintains peace. But nuclear weapons can be used by terrorists.’

The award to the group follows speculation that the United Nations agency supporting Palestinians – UNRWA – was being considered for the prize, as well as the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Concerns led to more than 12,000 people signing a petition urging the committee not to award UNRWA. Nine of its members were fired for alleged involvement in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 last year. 

The prize consists of a diploma, gold medal and a sum of $1 million (£765,800) and will be presented in Oslo in December.

Quakers hosted an event hearing some hibakusha talk in Friends House this summer.

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