In a historic moment of recognition, Japan’s atomic bomb survivors, represented by Nihon Hidankyo, have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for their steadfast campaign to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Founded in 1956, the organisation has tirelessly worked to prevent the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from ever being repeated. During the ceremony in Oslo on December 10, 92-year-old Terumi Tanaka, a survivor of the Nagasaki bombing, delivered a powerful address on behalf of the hibakusha, urging the world to take immediate action towards nuclear disarmament, as reported by Kyodo News. 

Tanaka’s poignant speech highlighted the growing threats of nuclear conflict, referencing both Russia’s aggressive rhetoric in the Ukraine war and Israel’s controversial nuclear comments. He warned that the "nuclear taboo"—the global consensus against the use of atomic weapons—was increasingly at risk. Tanaka, who was just 13 when he survived the bombing, shared his personal testimony of the brutal suffering caused by nuclear warfare, reinforcing the urgency of eliminating these weapons for good.

The Nobel Committee commended Nihon Hidankyo’s efforts in building a global norm against nuclear arms, emphasising how the survivors’ personal stories have played a pivotal role in raising awareness about the catastrophic consequences of atomic warfare. The Nobel Peace Prize not only acknowledges the organisation's achievements but also casts a spotlight on the dwindling number of hibakusha—many of whom are now over 85—whose advocacy helped lead to the historic adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017.

However, despite Japan’s status as the first country to suffer a nuclear attack, it has yet to sign the treaty, citing its reliance on the US nuclear umbrella for security. In his Nobel speech, Tanaka made a direct appeal to citizens of nuclear-armed nations, urging them to adopt a stronger stance against nuclear weapons and to advocate for a world where no country possesses a single nuclear weapon.

The Nobel Peace Prize serves as both a recognition of the hibakusha's decades-long fight and a stark reminder of the ever-present dangers of nuclear escalation. As Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, cautioned, "A nuclear war could destroy our civilisation."