The Peace Prize puts the nuclear issue back on the global agenda
The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the Japanese grassroots organization Nihon Hidankyo, which is made up of survivors of the 1945 US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. “The prize can help to counteract the normalization of nuclear armament,” says Camilla Orjuela, professor in Peace and Development Research at the University of Gothenburg.
When the atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagaski in the summer of 1945, up to 210 000 people died - either instantly, or in the days, weeks and years afterwards. Many of the survivors were left with permanent injuries, and the suffering has lasted for generations, not least in the form of genetic damage and cancers.
“Nuclear weapons are not just any weapons, but a weapon of mass destruction that kills on a much, much larger scale than any other weapon, and indiscriminately. Civilians - women, men, children - are unquestionably targeted. The radiation makes rescue operations impossible or almost impossible,” says Camilla Orjuela, who researches activism and local resistance against nuclear weapons.
Silence and stigma among survivors
For many years, it was difficult for survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to talk about what happened, even to each other. Memorials erected by relatives of those killed were torn down when the US was in power. When Japan gained independence in 1952, there was still a stigma attached to being a survivor.
"They were at high risk of disease, especially cancer, and of giving birth to sick children. Many therefore chose not to disclose that they were among those affected," says Camilla Orjuela.
A reminder of the terrible consequences of nuclear weapons
But the survivors eventually started talking - and getting organised. They have put strong pressure on Japan and globally to reduce and eventually abolish nuclear weapons, and with their own personal experiences are important voices reminding people of the terrible consequences of nuclear weapons.
This has probably contributed to the fact that we have not seen nuclear weapons used in war in the 79 years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“But those who experienced the bombs are now in their 80s and beyond. In a few years, no-one will be left with their own memories of what happened. That's why it's so important that they received the award now,” says Camilla Orjuela.
Increased nuclear armament after the Ukraine war
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more money is being spent on military armament, and nuclear armament has also increased dramatically in recent years.
“There has been a normalisation where it is quite accepted that nuclear weapons are seen as a deterrent. But it's a very, very dangerous path,” says Camilla Orjuela.
“It's impossible to say what will happen now, but the Nihon Hidankyo Peace Prize puts the nuclear issue back on the global agenda. It could, for example, help more countries sign up to the UN ban on nuclear weapons that entered into force in 2021.”