Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Japan's anti-nuclear group Nihon Hidankyo

Oslo, Norway - The Nobel Peace Prize was on Friday awarded to the Japanese anti-nuclear group Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as Hibakusha.

Terumi Tanaka, secretary-general of Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), which had been nominated for Nobel Peace Prize.
Terumi Tanaka, secretary-general of Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), which had been nominated for Nobel Peace Prize.  © REUTERS

The group, founded in 1956, received the honor "for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again," said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.

The Nobel committee expressed alarm that the international "nuclear taboo" that developed in response to the atomic bomb attacks of August 1945 was "under pressure."

"This year's prize is a prize that focuses on the necessity of upholding this nuclear taboo. And we have all a responsibility, particularly the nuclear powers," Frydnes told reporters.

Trump's pick for press secretary Karoline Leavitt deleted posts condemning January 6 Capitol attack
Donald Trump Trump's pick for press secretary Karoline Leavitt deleted posts condemning January 6 Capitol attack

The co-head of the new Nobel Peace Prize winner warned Friday that the situation for children in Gaza is similar to the situation in Japan at the end of World War II.

"In Gaza, children in blood are being held. It's like in Japan 80 years ago," Toshiyuki Mimaki told a news conference in Tokyo.

Nobel season draws to a close

Nihon Hidankyo co-chair Toshiyuki Mimaki, who survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, attends a news conference after the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winner was announced.
Nihon Hidankyo co-chair Toshiyuki Mimaki, who survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, attends a news conference after the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winner was announced.  © Kyodo/via REUTERS

Last year, the prestigious prize went to imprisoned women's rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran.

The prize comes with a gold medal, a diploma, and a prize sum of $1 million.

The award will be presented at a formal ceremony in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of the 1896 death of the prizes' creator, Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel.

Joe Biden to make promised visit to Angola as China grows influence in Africa
Joe Biden Joe Biden to make promised visit to Angola as China grows influence in Africa

The Peace Prize is the only Nobel awarded in Oslo, with the other disciplines announced in Stockholm.

On Thursday, South Korean author Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in Literature for her work exploring the correspondence between mental and physical torment as well as historical events.

The Nobel season winds up Monday with the economics prize.

Cover photo: REUTERS

More on Politics: