In a stirring lecture delivered in Oslo today, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Nihon Hidankyo called on all governments to take their stories as a call to action- and to immediately eliminate any activities that give nuclear weapons legitimacy. “Let us work together for a human society, in a world free of nuclear weapons and of wars! ”
Terumi Tanaka, survivor of U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki when he was only 13 years old and co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, delivered the Nobel Lecture on behalf of this historic grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors. In accepting the award, Mr Tanaka said “It is the heartfelt desire of the Hibakusha that, rather than depending on the theory of nuclear deterrence, which assumes the possession and use of nuclear weapons, we must not allow the possession of a single nuclear weapon.”
Nihon Hidankyo received the Nobel Peace Prize for the hibakusha’s tireless “efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.” The Nobel Committee upon awarding the prize said “ We all have a duty to fulfil the mission of the Hibakusha. Their moral compass is our inheritance. It is now our turn. Disarmament efforts require insistent public appeals and sustained pressure.”
Yet the 2024 award comes at a time when the nuclear taboo is under threat and the risk of nuclear weapons use is as high, if not higher, than ever, making the hibakusha’s message more important than ever. In the lecture, Mr Tanaka emphasised the need for urgent action:
“To achieve further universalization of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons […] I urge everyone around the world to create opportunities in your own countries to listen to the testimonies of A-bomb survivors, and to feel, with deep sensitivity, the true inhumanity of nuclear weapons.” said Mr Tanaka.
Melissa Parke, Executive Director of ICAN, lauded the powerful speech: “Listening to Mr Tanaka describe the horrendous effects on his family and city when the Americans dropped their atomic bomb should convince world leaders they have to go beyond simply congratulating the hibakusha of Nihon Hidankyo for this award. They must honour them by doing what the hibakusha have long called for – urgently getting rid of nuclear weapons.” She went on to say “That is the only way to ensure that what Mr Tanaka and the other hibakusha have been through never happens to anyone ever again. As long as any nuclear weapons remain anywhere, they are bound one day to be used, whether by design or accident. Joining the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons provides the pathway to the elimination of nuclear weapons and a safer world for all of us.”
ICAN has proudly worked alongside the hibakusha since the campaign’s inception for the common goal of closing the loophole that allowed nuclear weapons under international law. In 2017, this resulted in a milestone breakthrough: the adoption of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which half of all countries have already signed or ratified.
The nuclear disarmament movement – and the world – owes the hibakusha a debt of gratitude for their resilience and willingness to share their stories over and over again, so that the world may learn and come together to say “never again.” As Ms Parke put it, following a private meeting with representatives with Nihon Hidankyo yesterday,“it was their courage that enabled the TPNW to be adopted, which represents the first progress on nuclear disarmament in decades. ”
