'End nuclear threats': Japan’s atomic bomb survivors appeal to Russia - Video

Name: 'End nuclear threats': Japan’s atomic bomb survivors appeal to Russia - Video
Uploaded: 2024-12-10T08:39:31.226Z
Duration: PT46.406S
Description: Nihon Hidankyo, a group representing survivors of Japan’s atomic bombings, used its platform as this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate to urge Russia to cease nuclear threats amid its ongoing war in Ukraine.

Representatives of this year's winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Toshiyuki Mimaki, Terumi Tanaka and Shigemitsu Tanaka, together with the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the back from left Gry Larsen, Anne Enger, chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes, Kristin Clemet and Asle Toje during the signing of the Nobel Committee's guest book at the Nobel Institute. The people's movement of survivors of the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Nihon Hidankyo, receives the award for its work for a world free of nuclear weapons and for sharing its testimony of why nuclear weapons must never be used again, in Oslo, Norway December 9, 2024. The prize will be awarded during a ceremony in Oslo City Hall on Tuesday. NTB/Javad Parsa via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY.

Source: NTB

Nihon Hidankyo, a group representing survivors of Japan’s atomic bombings, used its platform as this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate to urge Russia to cease nuclear threats amid its ongoing war in Ukraine.

"President Putin, I don't think he truly understands what nuclear weapons are for human beings. I don't think he has even thought about this," said Terumi Tanaka, the 92-year-old co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo and a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

Speaking at a press conference in Oslo on Monday, December 9, Tanaka’s appeal came a day before he and two other co-chairs were set to formally accept the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the organisation, AFP reports.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began issuing nuclear threats shortly after launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In late November, he signed a decree lowering the threshold for deploying atomic weapons.

Nihon Hidankyo, which represents Japan’s “hibakusha” (atomic bomb survivors), has long advocated for the abolition of nuclear weapons worldwide. The group emphasised that their efforts are not about seeking financial reparations.

"We're not looking for monetary compensation. What we would like to see from the United States is for them to abolish their nuclear weapons," Tanaka said.

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and Nagasaki three days later remain the only instances of nuclear weapons being used in warfare. The attacks resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 74,000 in Nagasaki. Survivors endured severe radiation sickness and long-term health issues, including an increased risk of cancer.

Tanaka, who was 13 at the time of the Nagasaki bombing, expressed deep concern over the current global discourse surrounding nuclear weapons. "The fact that the use of nuclear weapons is being discussed so lightly is something that we find very regrettable, and it makes us feel sad. Furthermore, as we get older, we feel that we need to do something about this," he said.

Nihon Hidankyo faces challenges as its membership declines due to the ageing survivor population. The Japanese government estimates that around 106,800 hibakusha are still alive, with an average age of 85.

GSW with Agencies