Japanese Organization 'Hibakusha' Wins 2024 Nobel Peace Prize

The head of the Nobel Committee stated that this organization honors all survivors who, despite physical suffering and painful memories, have chosen to share their experiences in the pursuit of peace. The Japanese organization 'Nihon Hidankyo' has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee of Norway announced on Friday, October 20, that Nihon Hidankyo received the award for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for providing witness testimonies that demonstrate nuclear weapons should never be used again. Jürgen Watne Frydnes, the head of the Nobel Committee, emphasized that the Japanese organization has tirelessly worked to raise awareness about the catastrophic human consequences of using nuclear weapons, and the Nobel Prize is awarded to appreciate these efforts. Mr. Frydnes added, 'At this point in human history, it is important to remind ourselves what nuclear weapons are; the most destructive weapon the world has ever seen.' Nihon Hidankyo, also known as 'Hibakusha' in Japan, was established in 1956, eleven years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II in 1945. Throughout its seven decades of activity, this organization has provided thousands of reports of testimonies from survivors of the atomic bombings of the two Japanese cities and has sent numerous delegations to the United Nations and other peace conferences around the world to emphasize the 'urgent need for nuclear disarmament.' The Nobel Peace Committee has previously recognized activists and groups working against the use of nuclear weapons as winners of this prestigious global award. For instance, in 2017, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons won the Nobel Peace Prize. This year's Nobel Peace Prize was announced amid deadly and devastating conflicts around the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine and Sudan. There had been speculation in recent weeks that the Nobel Peace Committee might not award a prize this year. The Nobel Committee of Norway announced that 286 individuals and organizations were nominated for the Nobel Prize this year; 197 individuals and 89 organizations. The committee in Norway is solely responsible for determining the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, while the Swedish Nobel Committee announces the winners of other prizes. The cash prize for this year's Nobel is equivalent to one million and sixty thousand US dollars. The Nobel medal and diploma, along with the cash prize, will be awarded on December 10, which is the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, stated in his will in 1895, one year before his death, that the Peace Prize of his foundation should be awarded to promote brotherhood among nations. Last year, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist imprisoned in Iran, was awarded this prize. Ms. Mohammadi is still in Evin prison. Narges Mohammadi was the second Iranian citizen and human rights activist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Shirin Ebadi, a lawyer who received this award 21 years ago, has been outside Iran for over a decade and is a prominent activist opposing the Islamic Republic.