On Nihon Hidankyo's Nobel Peace Prize - comment by Akira Kawasaki

I am deeply happy to hear that Nihon Hidankyo has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. I am truly elated. I am recalling the faces of each and every person who has spoken out about the reality of the atomic bombings, recalling their painful memories and struggling with their severe physical conditions. Many of them have already passed away. Now, I am thinking about each and every one of them.

More than ever, now is the time for the world to listen to the voices of the Hibakusha.

I believe that the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo precisely because we are now in a critical situation in which nuclear weapons may be again used. Hiroshima and Nagasaki must never be repeated, anywhere in the world.

In Japan, too, the reality is that the experience of war and the atomic bombings is becoming a faded memory. Politicians speak of strengthening nuclear deterrence and even of nuclear sharing. The awarding of the Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo is an opportunity to remind ourselves that Japan is the only country to have suffered the wartime use of nuclear weapons, and that we must play a leading role globally towards the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Japan must sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. If the Government of Japan is to congratulate Nihon Hidankyo, within that, it should also state its commitment to signing and ratifying the TPNW.

I have learned from many Hibakusha of Nihon Hidankyo the importance of Japan's Peace Constitution, and particularly its war-renouncing Article 9. Now is the time for us to return to the foundations of Japan's post-war pacifism , and hold high the principle of building peace through trust and international cooperation, without relying on military force.

October 11, 2024

Kawasaki Akira

Peace Boat Executive Committee Member
International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) International Steering Group Member
Japan NGO Network for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (JANA) Co-Chair