Toshiyuki Mimaki, president of Nihon Hidankyo. File.
| Photo Credit: AP

The head of Japan’s Nihon Hidankyo said on Friday (September 11, 2024) that the group’s win of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize would give a major boost to its efforts to demonstrate that the abolition of nuclear weapons was possible.

“It would be a great force to appeal to the world that the abolition of nuclear weapons can be achieved,” Nihon Hidankyo head Toshiyuki Mimaki told a news conference in Hiroshima, site of the Aug. 6, 1945 atomic bombing during World War Two.

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“Nuclear weapons should absolutely be abolished,” he said.

He further expressed his surprise at being given the award for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.

“Never did I dream this could happen,” Mr. Mimaki said.

Tomoyuki Mimaki, representative director of the Nihon Hidankyo, attends a press conference after the group was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, in Hiroshima on October 11, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

The Nobel Peace Prize 2024 has been awarded to Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as Hibakusha, the Swedish Academy announced on Friday (October 11, 2024).

The Nobel Committee said that Nihon Hidankyo was receiving the Peace Prize 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.

Nihon Hidankyo is the only nation-wide organization of A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Hibakusha). It has member organizations in all 47 Japanese prefectures, thus representing almost all organized Hibakusha. Hidankyo is cooperating with those organizations in their work for the defense of the living and rights of these people.

One of the main objectives of Hindankyo is prevention of nuclear war and the elimination of nuclear weapons, including the signing of an international agreement for a total ban and elimination of nuclear weapons.

Last year, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to to Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, who is currently imprisoned. In 2014, India’s Kailash Satyarthi had won the award jointly with Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai.

ALSO READ: The Nobel Prize 2024 – An interactive guide

Earlier this week, the Swedish Academy announced the winners of the 2024 Nobel prizes for Physics, Chemistry and Physiology/Medicine, followed by the Literature award on Thursday (October 10, 2024) which was bagged by the first South Korean winner Han Kang.

The final Economics award will on October 14.

The prize carries a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($ 1 million) from a bequest left by the award’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. The laureates are invited to accept their awards at ceremonies on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death.