Nihon Hidankyo, also known as Hibakusha, a grassroots Japanese organization of atomic bomb survivors, was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored Hibakusha for its tireless efforts to achieve a nuclear-free world and for sharing firsthand testimony of the devastation caused by nuclear weapons. "Hibakusha help us describe the indescribable, think the unthinkable, and grasp the incomprehensible pain and suffering caused by nuclear weapons," the committee stated in its announcement.
Members of Nihon Hidankyo include survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, the only two instances of nuclear weapons being used in warfare. These survivors have since become global advocates for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Joergen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Nobel Committee, issued a stark warning, emphasizing the immense destructive power of today’s nuclear arsenal. "Nuclear weapons today can kill millions and would catastrophically affect the climate," Frydnes said. "A nuclear war could destroy our civilization."
* Arutz 7 contributed to this article.