On December 10, 2024, the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony was held in Oslo, Norway. FUTAMURA Chikako, Executive Director of JCCU, attended the ceremony as a member of the delegation representing the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (hereinafter Nihon Hidankyo).
Nihon Hidankyo delegation and participants of the Peace Boat and Gensuikyo tour
(Photo credit: NAKAOKU Takeo)
"Torchlight Parade" in the center of Oslo on the day of the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony.
(Photo credit: NAKAOKU Takeo)
Since the 1980s, Nihon Hidankyo and the JCCU have collaborated on various initiatives, including advocating for the enactment of the Hibakusha Aid Law, donating the "Atomic Bombs and Humanity" panel sets created by Nihon Hidankyo to locations worldwide, dispatching joint delegations to
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conferences, and advancing the "Hibakusha International Signature Campaign". Given this long-standing collaboration, the JCCU also joined the Nihon Hidankyo's delegation to the award ceremony.
Independently of the Nihon Hidankyo delegation, the JCCU dispatched two staff members to participate in a tour organized by the international NGO Peace Boat and the Japan Council against A & H Bombs (Gensuikyo) from December 7 to 13. During the tour, the staff members attended testimony sessions by Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) as well as second- and third-generation of the survivors, observed public viewings of the award ceremony, and engaged in discussions with local peace organizations.
During the Hibakusha testimony sessions, many participants were profoundly impacted by hearing first-hand accounts for the first time, and some were moved to tears. At the public viewing of the award ceremony, following a speech by Nihon Hidankyo Representative TANAKA Terumi, the audience honored his remarks with a standing ovation, and the applause continued for a long time. Inspired by his speech, participants expressed their strong commitment to preserving and telling these stories, affirming, "We must ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again".
Testimony Sessions by Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors)
(Photo credit: NAKAOKU Takeo)
In October 2024, the Nobel Peace Prize Selection Committee announced that the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize would be awarded to Nihon Hidankyo. This recognition marked the first time in 50 years that a Japanese individual or organization had received the Nobel Peace Prize, with the previous recipient being former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in 1974. It also represented another Nobel Peace Prize awarded to an organization dedicated to nuclear disarmament, following the 2017 laureate. Amid escalating global instability and increasing nuclear threats, the selection committee cited Nihon Hidankyo's unwavering advocacy for a world free of nuclear weapons and its significant role in conveying the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons through the testimonies of survivors as key reasons for the award.
JCCU, acknowledging its history of collaboration with Nihon Hidankyo, will continue to work with nuclear disarmament organizations and citizens to achieve a world without nuclear weapons.