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Nihon Hidankyo awarded Nobel Peace Prize: Nobel Committee Chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes says, “It’s time to listen to the voices of hibakusha,” as humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist

by Michiko Tanaka, Senior Staff Writer

In an online interview with the Chugoku Shimbun, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, 39, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, paid generous tribute to the A-bomb survivors (hibakusha) for speaking about their memories of “that day,” August 6, 1945, and for their focus on carrying forward their experiences to younger generations. However, he also expressed concern about the increased threat of nuclear weapons use and called on the world’s leaders to understand that “we as humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist.”

How do you evaluate the work of the A-bomb survivors?
Small children in Norway learn about the atomic bombings and the A-bomb survivors (hibakusha). It is because the hibakusha have been telling their stories again and again. They established the “nuclear taboo” by repeatedly speaking about their experiences through testimonies and educational programs. Those efforts have established and upheld the international norm that “nuclear weapons should never be used again.” That taboo has been upheld and nuclear weapons have not been used for around 80 years.

It is also impressive how the survivors are passing on their message to younger generations. I am aware about the activities of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki peace messengers (high school peace ambassadors). They are a great example. The key in the future is how such memories can be carried on to new generations. Hibakusha in general have been able to influence new generations at large in the world.

Nihon Hidankyo has been named as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize for many, many years. Why was the organization awarded the prize now?
The nuclear taboo is now under threat as threats to use nuclear weapons continue to escalate. The world’s nuclear powers are hurrying to modernize their arsenals, with the nuclear weapons of today so much more destructive than those of 80 years ago. If such weapons were ever to be used, millions of people would die instantly, but their use could also have catastrophic effects on our climate. Nuclear weapons are no longer a regional or local problem. They are a problem for all of humanity.

Our message to the world’s leaders is quite clear. Nuclear weapons are not compatible with humanity. All of the nuclear states are contributing to a worsening situation by threatening to use such weapons and by expanding their nuclear arsenals. All governments around the world including, naturally, the Japanese government, must listen to the voices of hibakusha.

What kind of award ceremony do you want to hold this time?
I think it will be a beautiful ceremony in the sense that we are celebrating people, including many that are no longer here, who have dedicated their lives to doing something on behalf of all humankind. The ceremony will be beautiful and emotional but also powerful.

Profile

Jørgen Watne Frydnes
Born in Bergen, Norway in 1984, Mr. Frydnes obtained a master’s degree in international politics at the University of York in the United Kingdom. He worked with the organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) for 12 years. Related to the 2011 terrorist attack on Utoya, an island located in southern Norway, he served as head of recovery activities through 2023. He became a member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in 2021 and was appointed to serve as committee chair starting in 2024. He also holds the position of general-secretary of PEN Norway, an organization dedicated to defending freedom of expression and supporting writers who have been imprisoned.

(Originally published on October 30, 2024)

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