Nobel Peace Prize:
NIHON HIDANKYO
Statement from Raymond Becker “Friddens- a Solidaritéitsplattform”
Soirée des Prix Nobel 2024 – Institut Grand-Ducal de Luxembourg
Auditoire du Centre Hospitalier Luxembourg

10.12.2024

Dear Members of the Institut Grand-Ducal,
Esteemed Guests,

The Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo, established in 1956, represents survivors, known as hibakusha, of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. These individuals are the human face of nuclear cataclysm. An estimated 120.000 people perished in the bombings, with a similar number dying from burns and radiation injuries in the months and years that followed. This year, Nihon Hidankyo is being honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize. This grassroots movement is receiving the world’s most significant peace prize for its relentless efforts to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, in its citation, recognized the group 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.” This year’s award marks the 105th Nobel Peace Prize since its inception in 1901, making Nihon Hidankyo the 141st laureate.

The committee affirmed that its decision is “securely anchored” in Alfred Nobel’s will, which outlines three criteria for the award: “the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Although Nobel’s will predate the advent of nuclear weapons, the Peace Prize has often been awarded to individuals and organizations dedicated to nuclear disarmament. Notable past laureates include the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) in 2017 and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, along with physicist Joseph Rotblat, in 1995. Rotbald being the only scientist to walk away from the Manhattan Project at the Los Alamos Laboratory on moral grounds.

Nihon Hidankyo is a nationwide organization uniting survivor groups of atomic bomb victims from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. How it all started: Castle Bravo was the first in a series of high-yield thermonuclear weapon design tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Island, in 1954. The fallout from this test caused acute radiation sickness in nearby residents and the crew of a Japanese fishing vessel. This tragedy spurred the formation of the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs in Hiroshima the following year, which ultimately inspired hibakusha to establish Nihon Hidankyo on August 10, 1956.

The symbol of Nihon Hidankyo is the Hiroshima Peace Crane, rooted in the story of Sadako Sasaki. At just two years old, Sadako survived the Hiroshima bombing. Most of Sadako’s neighbours died, but Sadako wasn’t injured at all, at least not in any way people could see. Up until the time Sadako was in the seventh grade (1955) she was a normal, happy girl. However, one day she felt extremely tired and dizzy. She had developed leukaemia, known at the time as the “A-bomb disease.” In the Red Cross Hospital, a friend shared a legend: She explained that the crane, a sacred bird in Japan, lives for a hundred years, and if a sick person folds 1.000 paper cranes, that person would soon get well. Despite her worsening condition, Sadako folded 644 cranes before her passing in 1955. Her courage and tragic death became a global call for peace, and the crane became a symbol of hope and resilience.

Since its inception, Nihon Hidankyo has embraced this powerful symbol and tirelessly worked to raise awareness about the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons.

Nihon Hidankyo’s initiatives include:

• Advocating for the abolition of nuclear weapons and seeking state compensation.
• Petitioning the Japanese government, the United Nations, and other governments.
• Elimination and removal of nuclear weapons, establishment of an international treaty for nuclear disarmament, holding of international conferences, enactment of non-nuclear laws and enhancement of hibakusha support measures.
• Raising awareness about the horrors of atomic bombings domestically and globally.
• Conducting research, publishing studies, and hosting exhibitions and events.
• Supporting hibakusha through consultation and assistance programs.

They broke the silence and spoke of the horror. Nihon Hidankyo help us to describe the indescribable, to think the unthinkable and to understand the incomprehensible pain and suffering caused by nuclear weapons. Their testimony has galvanized global opposition to these weapons of mass destruction.

By honouring Nihon Hidankyo, the Nobel Committee draws attention to next year’s 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings. The award also highlights an encouraging milestone: nearly 80 years have passed since nuclear weapons were last used in war. The extraordinary efforts of Nihon Hidankyo, ICAN, Pugwash Conferences and others had helped to establish a “nuclear taboo”. However, this taboo is under pressure today. Once again, the drums of nuclear war are beating.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has repeatedly threatened that nuclear weapons might be used if the Russian state were to feel its existence threatened by weapons supplied by the West. Recently, Putin revised Russia’s nuclear doctrine, ostensibly lowering the threshold for first use.

A few days ago, we were made aware of this danger once again. The nuclear threat isn’t a relic of the Cold War, it’s a clear and present danger. Russia launched a new non-nuclear ballistic missile with medium range on Dnipro. Although the missile strike on Dnipro, Ukraine’s fourth-largest city, involved non-nuclear warheads, the use of a delivery system designed for nuclear weapons underscores the ever-present danger.

Geopolitical tensions are at their highest in decades, with nuclear powers modernizing their arsenals for some time now. These powers include the US, Russia, Great Britain, France and China as well as India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), global nuclear stockpiles are declining due to the US and Russia dismantling older, Cold War era warheads, yet the number of warheads ready for use is rising – a troubling trend.

SIPRI estimates the global stockpile at 12.121 nuclear warheads, with around 9.585 in military stockpiles and 3.904 deployed on missiles and aircraft: 60 more than last year. This stark reality underscores why eliminating nuclear weapons remains the United Nations’ highest disarmament priority.

At this moment in human history, it is worth reminding ourselves what nuclear weapons represent: the most destructive force the world has ever seen. Today’s nuclear weapons far surpass the power of those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Their testing and use would result in catastrophic humanitarian consequences, as emphasized by the International Red Cross: “Nuclear weapons can destroy medical infrastructure and services, making the provision of aid and assistance almost impossible and demonstrating the lack of adequate humanitarian response capacity in the immediate aftermath.”

“You’re the Voice”, a 1985 song from an anti-nuclear demonstration in London, reminds us of the power of individual action. Let us heed this call and pledge to the hibakusha:

“I remember the victims of the dawn of the nuclear weapons age in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and I honour the survivors who seek the sunset of that age by pledging to join them in their fight to ban and eliminate nuclear weapons.”

We must remember the final words of the 1955 Russell-Einstein Manifesto, issued during the Cold War. It highlighted the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and called for world leaders to seek peaceful resolutions to international conflict:

“We appeal, as human beings, to human beings: Remember your humanity and forget the rest. If you can do so, the way lies open for a new paradise; if you cannot, there lies before you the risk of universal death.”

In closing, I leave you the message from Terumi Tanaka, the co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo who survived the bombing of Hiroshima at 13, in the Nobel lecture today.

“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. […] I therefore plead for everyone around the world to discuss together what we must do to eliminate nuclear weapons, and demand action from governments to achieve this goal.”

Esteemed guests, thank you for your attention.