TOKYO – The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki left a lasting imprint on human history, with their terrifying mushroom clouds symbolizing the immense destructive power of nuclear weapons. The bombs, dropped by U.S. forces in August 1945, instantly killed tens of thousands and left countless more struggling with radiation sickness and injuries.
Survivors of the bombings, known as hibakusha, have lived with the physical and emotional scars of that devastation. Shunned for years, these survivors became the living reminders of the horrors of nuclear war. Many grappled with survivors’ guilt, as they endured illnesses caused by radiation exposure.
On October 11, 2024, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a collective of atomic bomb survivors in Japan, for its tireless work over decades to eliminate nuclear weapons. The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored the group for “demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.”
The surviving hibakusha – more than 100,000 of whom are still alive today – have played a pivotal role in making the world confront the incomprehensible pain and devastation caused by nuclear weapons. “They help us to describe the indescribable, to think the unthinkable,” said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the committee chair.
While nuclear weapons have not been used since the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Nobel committee cautioned that modern nuclear arsenals are being upgraded and that new countries are seeking to join the nuclear arms race. Although the committee did not point fingers at specific nations, the global landscape is rife with nuclear tensions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, while fears of nuclear proliferation are growing in both the Middle East and Asia.
The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, carried out by American B-29 bombers under the codenames “Little Boy” and “Fat Man,” led to the deaths of about 120,000 people from the initial explosions, with a similar number succumbing to radiation-related illnesses in the following months and years.
Mr. Toshiyuki Mimaki, the 82-year-old chair of Nihon Hidankyo, expressed his deep hope after the Nobel announcement: “Please abolish nuclear weapons while we are alive.” For the hibakusha, the Nobel Prize brings a powerful reminder of their decades-long plea for a world free from nuclear terror.