This recognition highlights the group’s vital role in drawing attention to the catastrophic effects and enduring humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons use. Nihon Hidankyo has long advocated for the complete prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons, an objective that aligns with both humanitarian principles and international legal obligations.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which Nihon Hidankyo called for and continues to promote, is a key step toward strengthening the framework of international law aimed at preventing future nuclear catastrophes. The ICRC stands with Nihon Hidankyo in its work to ensuring that nuclear weapons are never used again, and that international law is upheld to protect the dignity of all people, in war and in peace.
The suffering of Hibakushas – the survivors of the atomic bombing – that the Japanese Red Cross Society and the ICRC witnessed firsthand in 1945, and to which Nihon Hidankyo has tirelessly and courageously borne witness over decades, demonstrates why nuclear weapons must be banned.
Let this year’s Nobel Peace Prize show the direction for the international community to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and save humanity from the dangers from the most terrible weapon ever invented.
