The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on Friday to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese anti-nuclear group made up of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as Hibakusha.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized the group “for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that these weapons must never be used again,” according to chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes.
Frydnes noted that the award comes at a time when the “taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure.” This recognition follows previous honors given by the committee to anti-nuclear efforts, such as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons in 2017 and Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences in 1995 for their roles in reducing the influence of nuclear arms in global politics.
The award occurs amid ongoing conflicts in regions like the Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan. Alfred Nobel’s will specified that the Peace Prize should reward significant contributions to international fraternity, the reduction of military forces, and the promotion of peace congresses.
Last year, the prize was awarded to Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi for her fight for women’s rights and democracy, as well as her opposition to the death penalty. Ahead of this year’s announcement, there was speculation that the committee might choose not to present a prize at all due to the current global turmoil.
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The Nobel Peace Prize includes a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1 million). Unlike other Nobel prizes decided in Stockholm, the Peace Prize is awarded by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo. The Nobel season will conclude with the announcement of the economics prize on Monday.
