The Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 has been awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese anti-nuclear organization made up of survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as Hibakusha. The award recognizes the group’s decades-long efforts to advocate for a nuclear-free world and their powerful testimonies about the horrors of nuclear weapons.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee emphasized the importance of upholding the “nuclear taboo” that emerged after the 1945 bombings. In a statement, Jorgen Frydnes, chair of the Nobel Committee, said: “This year’s prize focuses on the necessity of maintaining the nuclear taboo. We all have a responsibility, particularly the nuclear powers.”
Founded in 1956, Nihon Hidankyo has spent decades campaigning for the abolition of nuclear weapons, aiming to ensure that no other city suffers the devastation that Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced. The organization has consistently raised awareness through witness testimony, showing the catastrophic consequences of nuclear warfare.
The award includes a gold medal, a diploma, and a prize of $1 million (913,000 euros). The formal ceremony is scheduled for December 10, 2024, in Oslo, marking the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, the creator of the prize.
This year’s Nobel Prize winners also include Han Kang, the South Korean author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
