Japan’s Hidankyo Says It Hopes Nobel Win Will Inspire Anti-nuke Movement, Ahead of Peace Prize Awards Ceremony in Oslo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:08 JST, December 3, 2024

Members of Nihon Hidankyo, or the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, which this year won the Nobel Peace Prize, expressed their hope on Monday that the prize will fuel the movement to abolish nuclear weapons, at a press conference in Tokyo. The members are set to attend the Nobel awards ceremony in Oslo on Dec. 10.

Terumi Tanaka, cochair of Nihon Hidankyo, is scheduled to give a speech at the ceremony. “I hope [our receiving the Peace Prize] will inspire a large movement to abolish nuclear weapons,” he said. Tanaka survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945.

He also noted that many survivors who led the Hidankyo movement with him have passed away. “It felt lonely, unfortunate that there was no one I could consult with when I was writing [my speech],” he said.

A delegation of 30 people, including atomic bomb survivors, will attend the prize ceremony in Oslo, after one survivor canceled their trip due to health issues.