The Indian EXPRESS Nobel Peace Prize 2024: Who are the winners and why have they been awarded? Written by Rishika Singh New Delhi | Updated: October 12, 2024 00:34 IST

 The Indian EXPRESS 

Nobel Peace Prize 2024: Who are the winners and why have they been awarded?

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, an organisation of survivors of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombings. In doing so, the Nobel Committee has highlighted the power of their testimonies and the need for disarmament.

Written by Rishika Singh

New Delhi | Updated: October 12, 2024 00:34 IST

2024 Nobel Peace Prize: The Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, one of the very few structures that weren't completely obliterated after the Nuclear bomb was dropped.The Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, one of the very few structures that weren't completely obliterated after the Nuclear bomb was dropped. (Via Wikimedia Commons)

For its “efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons”, the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo on Friday (October 11).

The members of Nihon Hidankyo are survivors of the atom bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States in 1945. Many of those who survived — the so-called “Hibakusha” or “bomb-affected people” — spearheaded the global movement to end nuclear weapons.

The Nobel Committee emphasised on Hibakusha’s testimonies which have raised “awareness about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of using nuclear weapons”, and “contributed greatly to the establishment of the nuclear taboo”.

What is Nihon Hidankyo?

Scientists had long theorised that the forces that held together the nucleus of an atom could make up a very destructive bomb. With World War II, research on the subject picked up, not only in the US, which eventually built the first nuclear bomb, but also in the UK, Germany, USSR, and Japan.

But by the time the US developed the bomb, in July 1945, Germany had already been defeated, and the Japanese Empire had been pushed all the way back to its home islands. The US leadership, now under Harry Truman, however, wanted to avoid a protracted ground war with Japan. It was also wary of the Soviets entering the conflict in the East.

Festive offer

The atom bomb could kill two birds with one stone. On August 6, the US dropped a bomb named “Little Boy” on Hiroshima. The destruction was unimaginable. The US government’s Manhattan Project website said, “Those closest to the explosion died instantly, their bodies turned to black char… Nearly every structure within one mile of ground zero was destroyed…” More than 70,000 people died instantly, with the death toll going beyond 100,000 later.

Then, on August 9, before the scale of the destruction could even be comprehended, the US dropped “Fat Man” on Nagasaki, killing at least 40,000 people instantly, and tens of thousands more in the days and weeks to come.

Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced his country’s surrender on August 15. In his speech, he referenced “a new and most cruel bomb”. He said: “Should we continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilisation.”

How Hibakusha advocate for disarmament

The United States’ decision to drop the bombs has since been criticised from both strategic and ethical perspectives, given its immense human cost. But the bombings forever changed the world, as major powers went on a race to develop their own nuclear weapons as a deterrent to the American one. In response, a global movement for nuclear disarmament emerged.

The Hibakusha played an important role in this movement. The New York Times noted on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, “The Hibakusha and their offspring have formed the backbone of atomic memory.”

Founded on August 10, 1956, Nihon Hidankyo describes itself as “the only nation-wide organisation of A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” Its main objectives are the welfare of the Hibakusha, the elimination of nuclear weapons and due compensation to the victims.

The group has worked towards “telling stories of the Hibakusha to make known to the people their experiences, actual damage and after-effects of the A-bombing, both within and outside Japan; Sending A-bomb sufferers to the U.N., nuclear-weapon states and other countries,” the Nobel citation read.

The work of organisations such as Nihon Hidankyo have helped establish the nuclear taboo, which has ensured that nuclear weapons have not been used since 1945. One of the reasons behind the Nobel Committee’s decision this year is that this taboo is now “under pressure”.

Read | Robert Oppenheimer’s road to becoming the ‘father of the atomic bomb'

Not only have new countries sought their own nuclear weapons, improved weapons have been developed as well. Even countries such as the US and Russia, whose active stockpiles are much smaller today than before, have thousands of bombs. A BBC report said the US may spend more than $1 trillion by the 2040s for upgrading its nuclear capabilities.

How 2024 Nobel follows other prizes for disarmament

This year’s recipients are the latest in a list of Nobel awardees who have worked for disarmament. At least 10 Nobel Peace Prizes have been awarded for the cause since 1901.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato was one of the two prize winners in 1974, credited with Japan sticking to its policy of not acquiring nuclear weapons.

Most recently, the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) “for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons”. Incidentally, ICAN has worked with Nihon Hidanyo to document the impact of nuclear weapons.

Recognition given to the disarmament movement likely stems from the man behind the prize — Alfred Nobel. The Swedish scientist made a fortune with the invention of dynamite and numerous other patents. In his will, he asked that his money be used to award excellence in the sciences, literature and peace. For the last award, the criteria was a person “who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses.”

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First uploaded on: 11-10-2024 at 20:17 IST