A-Bomb Survivors in Japan’s Hiroshima, Nagasaki Celebrate Nobel Peace Prize Award; Hibakusha Says Honor to Receive Award, But Have to Protect Peace

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:35 JST, December 11, 2024

Atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki watched the live stream of Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations) receiving the Nobel Peace Prize at the award ceremony on Tuesday and celebrated the achievement.

About 300 people watched the ceremony at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

“How many wars have there been during my 95 years of being alive?” said Chieko Kiriake, who was 15 years old and about 2 kilometers from the hypocenter when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. “It is an honor to receive the award, but we cannot simply rejoice. We have to desperately grip peace and hold on to protect it.”

Many atomic bomb survivors came to Nagasaki city hall as well.

Shigemitsu Tanaka, 84, cochair of Nihon Hidankyo and chair of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council, took the stage at the award ceremony in Oslo.

“I was really impressed by Tanaka and the others standing on stage at the award ceremony, carrying with them the suffering of hibakusha [atomic bomb survivors], as well as hopes for peace,” said Miyako Jodai, 85, a senior official of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council. “I felt that I have to do my best to tell the world about the atomic bombings.”