Nihon Hidankyo Does Deserve It

Yuba Nath Lamsal:- The Japan Confederation of Atomic and Hydrogen Bomb Sufferers Organisations, popularly known as Nihon Hidankyo, was awarded Nobel Peace Prize 2024 in recognition of its untiring campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons. The Nihon Hidankyo is the Japanese organisation representing the survivors of the nuclear bombing. The Nihon Hidankyo was formed in 1956 and has been campaigning against nuclear weapons and lobbying nationally and internationally for the complete abolition of nuclear arms. Thus the decision of Nobel Committee is highly commendable. Japan is the first victim of the nuclear bomb. As the World War II was raging, the United States bombed two Japanese cities in the interval of three days. The first bomb, codenamed as the ‘Little Boy’, was dropped in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 while the ‘Fat Man’ hit Nagasaki on August 9. Two bombs instantly killed over 214,000 people and injured more than that number while caused untold collateral and environmental damages in these two cities. The Nobel Peace Prize to the Nihon Hidankyo is also the recognition for all who have been working for the total ban of nuclear weapons worldwide. Fallacy of nuclear deterrence The International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), global organisation lobbying for abolition of nuclear weapons, has hailed the decision of the Noble Committee to recognise the Nihon Hidankyo. The ICAN has been active for years to achieve its goal of nuclear free world. Soon after the announcement of this year’s Noble Peace Prize, ICAN has once again urged countries to abide by their international commitment. Seth Shelden, General Counsel and United Nations Liaison of ICAN, delivered a statement on behalf of the ICAN in the 79th session of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, in which he expressed serious concerns over the ‘continued promotion of the dangerous fallacy of nuclear deterrence by some countries stating that even while most have agreed to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in security policies’. The ICAN has also reminded the ‘nuclear powers of their repeated commitments to eliminate nuclear weapons, from the founding of the United Nations and up to last month's Pact for the Future’. Nuclear arms are the weapons of mass destruction and number one threat to humanity in the present context. The current nuclear arsenals in the world are capable of completely eliminating human civilisations. The abolition of the nuclear weapons is, therefore, a must for human security. However, some countries, despite their commitments, continue to possess and proliferate nuclear weapons. This is a total disrespect to international call and against their own commitment. The United States was the first country to proliferate nuclear bombs and use in Japan during World War II. Given the level devastation and destruction of the nuclear bombs, there have been consistent demands from the civil society to ban proliferation and use of the nuclear weapons. However, some countries continue to develop nuclear weapons. Now nine countries — the United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, China, North Korea, India, Pakistan and Israel — have nuclear arsenals. Some others might have been developing these weapons clandestinely. The nuclear arms race has, indeed, raised the risk of disappearance of human existence. Given the continued nuclear arms race in the name of deterrence, there have been some efforts at bilateral, multilateral and civil society levels seeking to limit the proliferation and discourage the use of nuclear weapons. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water or the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) are some of the major initiatives taken in the international level to regulate, limit and ban nuclear weapons. These efforts and initiatives definitely deserve commendation. However, these efforts have not fully achieved the goal as some countries have either not fully adhered to the spirit of the treaties or have refused to sign the treaties. Instead they have continued to consolidate their nuclear arsenals with even newer and more advanced nuclear weapons with higher killing and devastating capability. As existing nuclear powers continue to enhance their nuclear capability and other countries seek to be nuclear power, international civil society groups have been active against nuclear madness. The ICAN is playing leading role in mobilising international civil society groups to work for the total abolition of nuclear weapons. The ICAN was, thus, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 in recognition of its active and effective role against the nuclear weapons. This year Nobel Peace Prize to Japanese organisation, the Nihon Hidankyo, is yet another recognition for anti-nuclear weapon campaign. Anti-nuke campaign There is a long list of Nobel Peace Prize winners in recognition of the work against nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Director General Mohamed ElBaradei were chosen as the as the recipients of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way”. Linus Pauling is another Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1962 for his campaign against nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Even former president of the United States Barack Obama was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation and vision for a world without nuclear weapons”. However, Obama did nothing in practice to reduce nuclear weapons during his presidency and the United States remains to be the country In addition to nine nuclear powers, some other countries may be clandestinely trying to develop their nuclear capability. Although some nuclear powers have signed the NPT and CTBT, they have not complied with the provisions of treaty. Similarly some nuclear countries like India, Pakistan and Israel have not signed the NPT. North Korea signed the NPT in 1985 but withdrew from it in 2003 saying ‘it would no longer be bound by the treaty’. Thus, it is time for non-nuclear states, civil society groups and all peace-loving people in the world to unite and exert pressure on their own government to ban nuclear weapons and completely abolish such weapons of mass destruction. (The author is former chief editor of this daily and former ambassador. lamsalyubanath@gmail.com)