The co-chair of the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo, which fights against nuclear weapons and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Toshiyiku Mimaki, a survivor of Hiroshima, stated after receiving the prize, “The prize should have been given to the people working in Gaza. In Gaza, children covered in blood are being carried by their parents. Just like it was in Japan 80 years ago.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize to the organization “Nihon Hidankyo,” consisting of survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for their efforts towards a world free from nuclear weapons in Japan.

In a statement, it was mentioned, “The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize to the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo for their efforts to achieve a world free from nuclear weapons and their testimony that nuclear weapons should never be used again.” Mimaki, the co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo and a Hiroshima survivor, answered journalists’ questions after hearing the news of the prize.

Mimaki said, “I never imagined this could happen.”

Expressing his belief that the prize would be given to those working in Gaza, Mimaki stated, “Nihon Hidankyo? This can’t be real. Why Nihon Hidankyo? I was sure it would be people working in Gaza who would be chosen. In Gaza, children covered in blood are being carried by their parents. Just like it was in Japan 80 years ago.”