Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors, has won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.
Known as hibakusha, the survivors of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been recognised by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
Nobel Committee Chair Joergen Watne Frydnes said the group had “contributed greatly to the establishment of the nuclear taboo”.
Mr Frydnes warned the “nuclear taboo” was now “under pressure” – and praised the group’s use of witness testimony to ensure nuclear weapons must never be used again.
Founded in 1956, the organisation sends survivors around the world to share their testimonies of the “atrocious damage” and suffering caused by the use of nuclear weapons, according to its website.
Their work began almost a decade after the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
On 6 August 1945, a US bomber dropped the uranium bomb above the city of Hiroshima, killing around 140,000 people.
Three days later a second nuclear weapon was dropped on Nagasaki. Japan’s surrender, announced by Emperor Hirohito shortly afterwards, ended World War Two.
Speaking to reporters in Japan, a tearful Toshiyuki Mimaki, the co-head of the group, said: “Never did I dream this could happen,” the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.
Mr Mimaki criticised the idea that nuclear weapons bring peace. “It has been said that because of nuclear weapons, the world maintains peace. But nuclear weapons can be used by terrorists,” Mr Mimaki said, according to reports by AFP.
In a BBC interview last year, he said despite only being three years old at the time the nuclear bomb hit Hiroshima – he could still remember dazed and burnt survivors fleeing past his home.
The prize – which consist of a diploma, a gold medal and a sum of $1m (£765,800) – will be presented at a ceremonies in Oslo in December, marking the anniversary of the death of the scientist and prize creator Alfred Nobel.
The group has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize “many times” in the past, including in 2005 when it received a special mention by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, its website says.
The decision to recognise Nihon Hidankyo means the Nobel committee has steered away from more controversial nominees for the peace prize.
There had been widespread speculation the United Nations agency supporting Palestinians – UNRWA – was being considered for the prize.
Although the organisation is the main provider of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, nine of its members were fired for alleged involvement in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
More than 12,000 people had signed a petition urging the committee not to award UNRWA the prize.
There were equal concerns about the nomination of the International Court of Justice.
The UN’s main judicial organ is currently considering allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and has already issued a statement urging the Israeli authorities to refrain from genocidal acts.
But while giving the prize to Nihon Hidankyo may be a non-controversial choice, it could also focus global attention on the threat of nuclear conflict which overshadows the fighting in both Ukraine and the Middle East.
Throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its leaders have repeatedly hinted that they may be ready to use tactical nuclear weapons if western allies increase their support for Ukraine in a way Russia considers unacceptable.