The group, Nihon Hidankyo, which advocates for the abolishment of nuclear weapons, received congratulations from politicians, colleagues and friends around the world for winning the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, who is attending the East Asia Summit in Laos, lauded the group for its long commitment to the grassroots movement.
Ishiba said, “It is extremely significant that the Nobel Peace Prize be awarded to an organization that has worked so many years to abolish nuclear weapons.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated the group on his X account. Guterres wrote that he will never forget his “meetings with the hibakusha over the years.” He added: “The relentless work and resilience are the backbone of the global nuclear-disarmament movement. The UN proudly stands with the hibakusha.”
Congratulatory addresses were also flown in from Europe. EU President Ursula Von der Leyen described the group’s work as “invaluable.” She warned, however, that “the spectre of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still looms over humanity”.
Peter van den Dungen, an emeritus professor of peace studies at the University of Bradford in the UK, said the award is “very good news” and that it should serve as a wake-up call.
Dungen had previously recommended Nihon Hidankyo for the Nobel Prize. He said: “We’ve learned to live with the bomb. And somehow it is not the major issue anymore. But it should be.”
Daniel Hogsta, deputy director for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, said he was “absolutely thrilled” by the news.
ICAN won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Hogsta said Nihon Hidankyo is a source of inspiration for his group.
He added that the announcement “couldn’t have come at a better time” and “what Nihon Hidankyo have shown us, and why this award is so important, is that people and political leaders need to be motivated for action.”
Next year marks the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hogsta says ICAN will continue to work closely with Nihon Hidankyo to abolish nuclear weapons.