Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 14: The exile Tibetan leadership, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the President of the Tibetan government in exile, Penpa Tsering have extended their heartfelt congratulations to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors, for being awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. The prestigious award, presented to hibakusha, known as the survivors of the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings has been recognised by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons from the world.
Penpa Tsering, the political leader of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), congratulated the survivors, stating that their steadfast commitment to nuclear disarmament has inspired countless movements for peace around the globe. ”My heartfelt congratulations to Nihon Hidankyo, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Their tireless advocacy for a nuclear-free world, shaped by the experiences of A-bomb survivors, is a profound reminder of the catastrophic threat nuclear weapons pose to humanity,” he wrote. “In honouring Nihon Hidankyo with the Nobel Peace Prize, I hope this serves as a meaningful step towards a world free from nuclear weapons and united in peace.”
Similarly, the foremost exile spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama sent a personal message of congratulations to the co-chairpersons of Nihon Hidankyo, Terumi Tanaka, Shigemitsu Tanaka, and Toshiyuki Mimaki, expressing his deep admiration for their resilience and courage. “During my visits to Japan, I have had the occasion to meet some of you. I deeply appreciate your work, His Holiness wrote on Saturday.
“Having visited both Hiroshima and Nagasaki myself, I have some sense of the immense suffering experienced by the victims, particularly the survivors of the nuclear bombings. I understand that because they experienced the horror of the nuclear explosions and survived, those who have founded this organisation powerfully represent the need to do away with these dangerous weapons,” he further wrote.
Founded in 1956, Nihon Hidankyo has been actively sending survivors around the world to share their testimonies of the “atrocious damage” and suffering caused by nuclear weapons, according to the organisation’s website. Their mission began nearly a decade after the devastating bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
On August 6, 1945, a U.S. bomber dropped a uranium bomb over the city of Hiroshima, killing around 140,000 people. Three days later, a second nuclear weapon was dropped on Nagasaki, leading to Japan’s surrender, announced by Emperor Hirohito, which brought an end to World War II.
Speaking to reporters in Japan, a tearful Toshiyuki Mimaki, the co-head of the group, said, “Never did I dream this could happen,” he said. Mimaki also criticised the idea that nuclear weapons bring peace, stating, “It has been said that because of nuclear weapons, the world maintains peace. But nuclear weapons can be used by terrorists.”
Nihon Hidankyo has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize multiple times, including in 2005, when the group received special mention from the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The 2024 prize, which includes a diploma, a gold medal, and $1 million, will be presented at a ceremony in Oslo this December, marking the anniversary of the death of prize creator Alfred Nobel.
