Nobel panel, A-bomb survivors urge youth to carry torch of peace
"The nuclear taboo is under threat, and the hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) are aging. In not too many years, we will no longer have the testimonies of those who were there, those who could tell this story," said Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes.
Nihon Hidankyo, also known as the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for its efforts to achieve a nuclear-free world through witness testimony. The symposium at Sophia University's Yotsuya Campus marked the first time the Nobel committee has traveled to a laureate's country to cohost an event.
In a joint press conference, Terumi Tanaka, the 93-year-old co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, expressed hopes that the awarding of the prize would encourage Japanese people to raise their voices "strongly enough to move the government" to take a more proactive stance in calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Recognizing that the future belongs to the youth, Tanaka said "I hope that going forward, young people will take an interest, engage with sensitivity, and listen to the hibakusha. I want them to reach the point of understanding that (nuclear weapons) must never be allowed to exist."
Frydnes, 40, once again lauded the dedication of Nihon Hidankyo, noting that since the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the group, many movements and individuals have reengaged on the issue of nuclear disarmament.
"Hopefully (the 80th anniversary) will be a turning point where world leaders are listening to all those people around the world who say, we cannot live in a world where we are living in a nuclear prison waiting for collective annihilation," he said.
Frydnes, who arrived in Japan on Monday, visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki earlier this week where he met with atomic bomb survivors and local activists working toward nuclear abolition.
"Hearing about these places is different from seeing them in person, so we are grateful that he came," Tanaka said, calling the Nobel committee's visit to Japan an "honor."
The U.S. atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the final days of World War II in August 1945, killing an estimated 214,000 people by the end of the year and leaving numerous survivors grappling with long-term physical and mental health challenges.
At a conference later in the day on responding to the threat of nuclear arms, keynote speeches by Frydnes, Tanaka and Michiko Kodama, assistant secretary general of Nihon Hidankyo, were followed by a panel discussion on nuclear disarmament involving Asle Toje, vice chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and Japanese academics.
The event was attended by around 700 people, according to the university.
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