Context:
Recently, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to the Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization dedicated to nuclear disarmament.
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- Nihon Hidankyo received the award for its “efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again”.
- Since its formation in 1956, Nihon Hidankyo is the only nationwide organization for A-bomb survivors.
- This grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945), also known as Hibakusha.
- The award underscores the significance of the “nuclear taboo,” a norm that has helped prevent the use of nuclear weapons since 1945, with the Committee expressing concern that this taboo is currently “under pressure” amidst global conflicts.
Significance of Nihon Hidankyo’s Work
- Hibakusha’s testimony:
It serves as a powerful reminder of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear warfare.
Their personal stories have played a crucial role in establishing a nuclear taboo, stigmatizing the use of such weapons as morally unacceptable.
- Advocacy for Nuclear Disarmament: Nihon Hidankyo has been instrumental in promoting global awareness about the dangers of nuclear weapons through extensive educational campaigns.
- Witness Testimonies: The organization’s members share their harrowing experiences, helping to articulate the profound suffering caused by atomic bombs.
Challenges to the Nuclear Taboo:
- Modernization of Arsenals: Despite no nuclear weapons being used in conflict for nearly 80 years, nations are modernizing their arsenals, raising concerns about potential future use.
- Global Tensions: Ongoing geopolitical conflicts have led to renewed threats regarding nuclear engagement, putting pressure on the established taboo against their use.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki:
- On 6 August 1945, at 08:15, the first ever atomic bomb, named Little Boy, was dropped on the center of Hiroshima.
‘Little Boy’ was a gun-type atomic bomb.
- Three days later, in the early hours of 9 August 1945, a second U.S. aircraft departed from Tinian Island in the Pacific Ocean, the launch site for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
This aircraft carried a more advanced nuclear device known as ‘Fat Man’, which was a plutonium-based bomb intended for Nagasaki.