Japanese atomic bomb survivor movement Nihon Hidankyo wins Nobel Peace Prize

Anti-nuclear weapon campaigners have been recognised by the Nobel Committee in the past.

On Friday, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of survivors from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, for its activism against nuclear weapons.

Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the prize was given as the “taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure.”

He added that the Nobel Committee wanted to honour all survivors who, despite their suffering, have chosen to transform their painful experiences into hope and action for peace.

Founded in 1956, Nihon Hidankyo— the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations—represents those affected by the US atomic bombings, known in Japan as “hibakusha.”