Japanese atomic bomb survivors win Nobel Peace Prize
Co-chair Toshiyuki Mimaki, who survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, was tearful after it was announced Nihon Hidankyo had won
A)
Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors, has won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.
Known as hibakusha, the survivors of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been recognised by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
Nobel Committee Chair Joergen Watne Frydnes said the group had "contributed greatly to the establishment of the nuclear taboo".
Mr Frydnes warned the "nuclear taboo" was now "under pressure" - and praised the group's use of witness testimony to ensure nuclear weapons must never be used again.
B)
Founded in 1956, the organisation sends survivors around the world to share their testimonies of the "atrocious damage" and suffering caused by the use of nuclear weapons, according to its website.
Their work began almost a decade after the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
On 6 August 1945, a US bomber dropped the uranium bomb above the city of Hiroshima, killing around 140,000 people.
Three days later a second nuclear weapon was dropped on Nagasaki. Japan's surrender, announced by Emperor Hirohito shortly afterwards, ended World War Two.
C)
Speaking to reporters in Japan, a tearful Toshiyuki Mimaki, the co-head of the group, said: "Never did I dream this could happen," the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.
Mr Mimaki criticised the idea that nuclear weapons bring peace. "It has been said that because of nuclear weapons, the world maintains peace. But nuclear weapons can be used by terrorists," Mr Mimaki said, according to reports by AFP.
In a BBC interview last year, he said despite only being three years old at the time the nuclear bomb hit Hiroshima - he could still remember dazed and burnt survivors fleeing past his home.
D)
The prize - which consist of a diploma, a gold medal and a sum of $1m (£765,800) - will be presented at a ceremonies in Oslo in December, marking the anniversary of the death of the scientist and prize creator Alfred Nobel.
The group has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize "many times" in the past, including in 2005 when it received a special mention by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, its website says.
E)
The decision to recognise Nihon Hidankyo means the Nobel committee has steered away from more controversial nominees for the peace prize.
There had been widespread speculation the United Nations agency supporting Palestinians – UNRWA – was being considered for the prize.
Although the organisation is the main provider of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, nine of its members were fired for alleged involvement in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
More than 12,000 people had signed a petition urging the committee not to award UNRWA the prize.
F)
There were equal concerns about the nomination of the International Court of Justice.
The UN’s main judicial organ is currently considering allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and has already issued a statement urging the Israeli authorities to refrain from genocidal acts.
But while giving the prize to Nihon Hidankyo may be a non-controversial choice, it could also focus global attention on the threat of nuclear conflict which overshadows the fighting in both Ukraine and the Middle East.
G)
Throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its leaders have repeatedly hinted that they may be ready to use tactical nuclear weapons if western allies increase their support for Ukraine in a way Russia considers unacceptable.
These threats have succeeded in restraining western support for fear of escalation.
In the Middle East, the subtext for much of Israel’s strategy is the fear that Iran is seeking nuclear capability, something Tehran denies.
H)
The Nobel committee’s decision may renew a debate about the use of nuclear weapons at a time when some countries look enviously at their deterring power.
This year's peace prize had 286 nominations, a number comprising 197 individuals and 89 organisations.
Nominations can be made by people in positions of significant authority, including members of national assemblies, governments and international courts of law.
I)
Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi won the prize in 2023, when she was honoured for her work fighting the oppression of women in Iran.
Ms Mohammadi is currently being held in Evin prison in Tehran, having already spent 12 years in jail serving multiple sentences related to her activism.
Japanese atomic bomb survivors win Nobel Peace Prize
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy5y23qgx0qo
Nihon Hidankyo announced as Nobel Peace Prize Winner | BBC News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJuzfyfsPSk&t=149s
Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors, has won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.
The organisation, made up of survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was recognised by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for its efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
The group were praised by Nobel Committee Chair, Joergen Watne Frydnes, for their use of witness testimony to ensure nuclear weapons are never be used again.
I Went to Hiroshima in Japan and I Was Shocked
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUDhdsL1Unc
"Japan is a bad country that cheated the U.S." The Japanese media's lack of thought hasn't changed in 80 years
https://president.jp/articles/-/53217
Add info)
[Overseas Reactions] "It's strange for Japan to hate": Why an American tourist at Hiroshima's Atomic Bomb Dome bursts into tears after being told by a Japanese boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzUBStMSBuE
a)
13:08
The video was met with praise for his perfection and desire for peace. Comments such as "Japan has every right to hate America, but they received government orders not to do so" and "What the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki want is peace, not hatred" were posted one after another. Nasdaily's video played a major role in spreading the message of peace. By broadcasting exactly what he saw and felt, viewers also felt Hiroshima's desire for peace, and that message spread all over the world.
b)
Americans who visited Hiroshima, like John and NasDaily, are beginning to realize how biased America's education about the atomic bomb has been. An increasing number of young people are questioning the widely accepted notion that the atomic bomb was inevitable because Japan started the war. In fact, the discussion of the atomic bomb is changing in American school education as well. The specifications of the atomic bomb, which were once taught as a necessary evil that ended the war, are now being discussed from a more multifaceted perspective, especially in the eyes of the victims of the bomb.
c)
14:12
More and more classes are being taught incorporating testimonies and their perspectives, and students are coming into contact with truths they had not known before. By learning about the suffering experienced by the survivors and the cruelty of war, rather than simply a story that America was right, students gain a deeper understanding of history. In the midst of these changes, the question of whether the atomic bombing was truly a justifiable act has resurfaced, and as a result, even in America, voices critical of the use of the atomic bomb are gradually increasing. The image of the atomic bomb as an act that ended the war is collapsing, and the idea that we should focus on the enormous damage it caused is spreading.
There is also a growing belief that America's use of the atomic bomb was to demonstrate the power of the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. According to Tetsuo Arima, professor emeritus at Waseda University, in an article on President Online, America intentionally did not let Japan be happy until it dropped the atomic bomb. Due to the war-ending maneuvers in Switzerland, Japan was searching for the home of the Poda Declaration before America dropped the atomic bomb.
d)
15:18
Professor Emeritus Arima argues that dropping the atomic bomb was unnecessary. In fact, in the film Oppenheimer, which deals with World War II, there is a scene in which the leading figures in the American administration are talking about the atomic bombing, and Secretary of War Henry Stimson says that Japan was trying to become a nation. In other words, they knew that Japan was trying to become a nation, and so they developed the atomic bomb. Their purpose was to show the power of the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union, which at the time dominated Eastern Europe and was trying to advance into East Asia.
e)
To that end, Professor Emeritus Arima says that US President Truman and Secretary of State Byrnes deliberately set two traps for Japan before the atomic bombing. The first was the deletion of the clause on the post-national polity matter. The Poda Declaration initially included a clause that recognized the national polity that Japan desired, that is, the continuation of the imperial status. For the Japanese government, this national polity was the core of the conditions for happiness, and if this was recognized, Japan would be ready to become a nation.
f)
16:23
However, on July 24th, this clause was deleted. The Americans knew that Japan would not accept the Potsdam Declaration unless the national polity was recognized. Therefore, in order to prevent Japan from accepting the Potsdam Declaration until the atomic bomb was dropped, they deliberately deleted this important clause, creating a situation in which it would be difficult for Japan to accept the Declaration.
g)
The second clause was added to the end of Article 13 of the Potsdam Declaration, stating that if the Declaration was rejected, Japan would suffer complete and immediate destruction. The Americans would later use this clause to claim that they had warned Japan, but Japan had ignored them, and so they had no choice but to drop the atomic bomb. However, in reality, this clause does not clearly mention the atomic bomb itself and remains an ambiguous expression. By adding this clause, the Americans prepared the basis for later claims that they had issued a warning in advance.
h)
17:27
The US had been demanding that the atomic bomb be removed, and part of this warning was said to have been included to satisfy that demand, but in reality the Japanese side was unable to link the warning to the atomic bomb. As a result, this vague warning was used as a public document to assert the legitimacy of the atomic bomb equivalent. The US could take the position that the atomic bomb equivalent was a legitimate action, as if Japan had ignored the warning, but in reality Japan did not understand the warning as an atomic bomb equivalent.
i)
Professor Emeritus Arima argues that these two traps led the US to deprive Japan of the option of happiness in a White-like manner. In recent years, there have been reports from the US side that the atomic bomb equivalent was intended to restrain the Soviet Union with an eye to the end of the war.
Even somewhat conservative media such as the Los Angeles Times have begun to report it this way. However, there are still few who say that the atomic bomb equivalent was unnecessary and that the war would have ended even without the atomic bomb. In this way, attitudes towards the atomic bomb are changing both within the US and overseas.
j)
18:31
According to a survey of 6,000 Americans conducted in 2020 by the research company STA, 52% of 18-24 year olds answered that the United States should apologize to Japan, far exceeding the 23% who answered that the use of the atomic bomb was justified and that the United States should not apologize. These surveys also show that attitudes regarding the use of the atomic bomb are gradually changing in the United States.
k)
People who have visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki also realize that the history taught in American schools is one-sided, and are beginning to deeply understand the horror of nuclear weapons and the desire for peace conveyed by the atomic bomb survivors. And young people like the boy who works as a peace guide in Hiroshima, who is from a generation that has never experienced war, have inherited the thoughts of the atomic bomb survivors and continue to send a message of peace to the world.
l)
Their message of choosing peace over hatred resonates strongly in the hearts of those who visit, spreading the desire for peace all over the world. They learn about the tragedies of the past and are inspired by them.
19:36
The movement of the reconciliation generation, which is trying to realize the future of peace from now on, will continue to spread and will be an important step towards aiming for a world without war.
