:Nihon Hidankyo

File:Hibakusha.jpg speaking to youth about surviving the atomic bombing of Nagasaki at a UN event in Vienna in 2007]]

Nihon Hidankyo is a nation-wide organisation formed by survivor groups of atomic bomb victims from Hiroshima and Nagasaki in each prefecture.{{Cite web |title=被団協機能不全に 「はっちゃん」の努力 原爆を背負って(42) |url=https://www.nishinippon.co.jp/item/n/630110/ |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=西日本新聞me |language=ja}} The fallout from Castle Bravo, a thermonuclear weapon test conducted at Bikini Atoll by the United States in 1954, caused acute radiation syndrome in residents of neighbouring atolls and 23 crew members of the Japanese fishing vessel Daigo Fukuryū Maru. This led to the formation of the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs in Hiroshima the following year.{{Cite web |title=ヒロシマの記録１９５５ ９月 |trans-title=Hiroshima Records of September 1955|url=https://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/?p=26316 |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=中国新聞ヒロシマ平和メディアセンター |language=ja}} Inspired and supported by this movement, atomic bomb survivors established Nihon Hidankyo on 10 August 1956, at the second annual conference of the council in Nagasaki.{{Cite web |publisher=日本被団協 |title=被爆者の願いの実現をめざして、どのような運動をしてきたか |trans-title=What tyWhat kind of campaigns have been carried out to realize the wishes of atomic bomb survivors? |url=https://www.ne.jp/asahi/hidankyo/nihon/about/about2-02.html |language=ja |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=www.ne.jp}}

File:Jørgen Watne Frydnes awarding Terumi Tanaka, Shigemitsu Tanaka, and Toshiyuki Mimaki at 2024 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony 8 (cropped).jpg, Shigemitsu Tanaka, and Toshiyuki Mimaki at the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony with Jørgen Watne Frydnes]]

However, the movement's solidarity was jeopardised when the council became actively involved in the anti-U.S.-Japan Security Treaty movement alongside the left-leaning Japan Socialist Party in 1959.{{Cite web |title=ヒロシマの記録１９５９ ３月 |trans-title=Hiroshima Records of March 1959|url=https://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/?p=26262 |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=中国新聞ヒロシマ平和メディアセンター |language=ja}} A large number of supporters withdrew from the council, and with the support of the conservative Liberal Democrats, a new organisation, led by Masatoshi Matsushita, leader of the staunchly anti-communist Democratic Socialist Party, was established.{{Cite web |title=ヒロシマの記録１９６１ １１月 |trans-title=Hiroshima Records of November 1961|url=https://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/?p=26246 |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=中国新聞ヒロシマ平和メディアセンター |language=ja}} In 1961, when the Soviet Union resumed nuclear tests, the communist wing of the council refused to denounce them, which led to severe internal tension.{{Cite web |title=ヒロシマの記録１９６１ ９月 |trans-title=Hiroshima Records of September 1961 |url=https://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/?p=26244 |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=中国新聞ヒロシマ平和メディアセンター |language=ja}} This led to a further split in the movement, with a Japan Socialist Party-backed group that denounces nuclear tests by any nation breaking away as a new council.{{Cite web |date=1 May 2020 |title=原水禁とは – 原水禁 |trans-title=What is Gensuikin? |url=http://gensuikin.peace-forum.com/about_gensuikin/ |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=原水禁 – 核と人類は共存できない}} These tensions within anti-nuclear movements caused some prefectural Hidankyos to split at the local level as well, such as in Hiroshima, where there are both Socialist Party-backed and Communist Party-backed Hidankyos with the same name. The nationwide organisation itself decided not to align with any political movements in 1965, after they became highly politicised.

As of October 2024, Nihon Hidankyo's activities include:{{Cite web |publisher=日本被団協 |url=https://www.ne.jp/asahi/hidankyo/nihon/about/about1-01.html |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=www.ne.jp |language=ja |trans-title=Introduction |title=紹介}}

• Advocacy for the abolition of nuclear weapons and demands for state compensations
• Petitioning actions towards the Japanese government, the United Nations and other governments
• Elimination and removal of nuclear weapons, establishment of an international treaty for nuclear disarmament, holding of international conferences, enactment of non-nuclear laws and enhancement of hibakusha support measures
• Raising awareness of the realities of the atomic bombings both domestically and internationally
• Research, study, publication, exhibitions and gatherings on atomic bomb damage
• Consultation and support activities for hibakusha

• Terumi Tanaka: Exposed to radiation 3.2 km away from the Nagasaki hypocentre at the age of 13; assumed office on 14 June 2017{{Cite web |date=15 June 2018 |title=被団協 代表委員に田中重光氏 総会で選出 故谷口氏の |url=https://nordot.app/380181374566712417 |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=長崎新聞 |language=ja-JP |trans-title=Shigemitsu Tanaka elected as representative committee member of the Hidankyo at general meeting, succeeding the late Mr. Taniguchi}}
• Shigemitsu Tanaka: Exposed to radiation 6 km away from the Nagasaki hypocentre at the age of 4; assumed office on 14 June 2018
• Toshiyuki Mimaki:{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nobel-peace-prize-laureate-2024-1.7348355|title=Japan's Nihon Hidankyo, organization of atomic bomb survivors, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize|publisher=CBC News|date=11 October 2024|access-date=11 October 2024}} Exposed to radiation at his home in Hiroshima at the age of 3;{{Cite web |title=広島の声 – 広島・長崎の記憶～被爆者からのメッセージ |publisher=The Asahi Shimbun |trans-title=Voices of Hiroshima: Memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – Messages from atomic bomb survivors|url=https://www.asahi.com/hibakusha/hiroshima/h02-00003j.html |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=www.asahi.com}} assumed office on 9 June 2022{{Cite web |date=9 June 2022 |title=日本被団協の代表委員に箕牧さん 大きな壁に挑む新たな「顔」|url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ696WVMQ67PITB00M.html |access-date=11 October 2024 |publisher=The Asahi Shimbun |website=朝日新聞デジタル |language=ja |trans-title=Minomaki appointed as representative committee member of the Japan Confederation of A-bomb Victims Organizations: A new "face" tackling a big challenge}}

• Sueichi Kido: Exposed to radiation in Nagasaki at the age of 5; assumed office on 7 June 2017

• Toshiko Hamanaka{{Cite web |title=welcome to HIDANKYO in Japanese |url=https://www.ne.jp/asahi/hidankyo/nihon/english/about/about1-01.html |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=www.ne.jp}}
• Jiro Hamasumi
• Michiko Kodama
• Masako Wada{{Cite web |title=First reactions. Telephone interview, October 2024 |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2024/nihon-hidankyo/interview/ |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=NobelPrize.org |language=en-US}}

• Ichiro Moritaki - Founding chairperson of Nihon Hidankyo. Founding chairperson of the Hiroshima Prefectural Hidankyo, a committee head of the Atomic Water Association, and the third chairperson of the Japan National Conference on the Prohibition of Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs. Died January 25, 1994.
• Sumiteru Taniguchi: Severely injured by the Nagasaki bomb 1.8 km away from the hypocentre at the age of 16; co-chairperson until his death on 20 August 2017{{Cite web |publisher=BBC |title=Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor Sumiteru Taniguchi dies at 88 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41094741.amp|access-date=11 October 2024|date=30 August 2017}}
• Takeshi Ito: Born in Hiroshima City. Ito was exposed to the atomic bomb during his third year at the former Hiroshima Prefectural First Middle School; co-chairperson until his death on 3 March 2000.
• Sunao Tsuboi: Severely injured by the Hiroshima bomb 1.5 km away from the hypocentre at the age of 20; co-chairperson until his death on 24 October 2021{{Cite web |date=27 October 2021|title=Sunao Tsuboi: Campaigning Hiroshima survivor dies aged 96|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59060950.amp |access-date=11 October 2024 |publisher=BBC}}
• Mikiso Iwasa: Severely injured by the Hiroshima bomb at his home 1.2 km away from the hypocentre at the age of 16; co-chairperson until his death on 7 September 2020{{Cite web |title=Anti-nuclear crusader Mikiso Iwasa dies at the age of 91|url=https://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/13717777 |access-date=11 October 2024 |publisher=The Asahi Shimbun|date=25 September 2020}}

• 2003: Seán MacBride Peace Prize{{cite web |url=https://ipb.org/sean-macbride-peace-prize/ |title=Seán MacBride Peace Prize |publisher=International Peace Bureau }}
• 2010: Award for Social Activism from the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates{{Cite web |date=11 October 2024 |title=Japanese atomic bomb survivor organisation Nihon Hidankyo wins Nobel Peace Prize: All you need to know |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/what-is/nobel-peace-prize-goes-to-japanese-organization-nihon-hidankyo-9615409/ |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}
• 2024: Nobel Peace Prize{{Cite news |last1=Leussink |last2=Wang |first1=Daniel |first2=Irene |date=October 13, 2024 |title=In Hiroshima peace park, visitors hope Nobel win will boost peace efforts |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/10/13/japan/hiroshima-nobel-reaction/ |access-date=October 15, 2024 |work=The Japan Times}}

Before being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Nihon Hidankyo was also nominated in 1985, 1994 and 2015 by the Swiss-based International Peace Bureau.{{cite web |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/08/01/commentary/atomic-bomb-survivors-nominated-nobel-prize/#.Vdtc7yWqqkp |title=Atomic bomb survivors nominated for Nobel prize |work=The Japan Times |first1=Jeff |last1=Kingston |date=2015-08-01 |url-access=subscription}}

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• [http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hidankyo/nihon/ Nihon Hidankyō]
• [https://education.unoda.org/presentations/hibakusha.html HIBAKUSHA – Atomic Bomb Survivors]
• [https://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=8885 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Statements]
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Category:Anti-nuclear organizations

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