By : Michael Tomasoa
Nihon Hidankyo is a testament to the importance of using your voice and platform to uplift the unheard experiences of the suffering. The organization was founded on the 10th of August, 1956, by survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in response to the continued use and testing of nuclear weapons at Bikini Atoll and other such proving grounds. Originally, the survivors, known in Japan as Hibakusha, focused their efforts on highlighting the plight of the total of 370,000 survivors who were receiving no aid or recognition from both the Japanese and the American governments. Over time, their mission and their efforts began to blossom into an international movement to campaign for nuclear disarmament. In December of 2024, their tireless efforts for global harmony will be rewarded in Oslo with the presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize.
As survivors of the only atomic bombing in history, only the Hibashuka know of the death, destruction, and devastation caused by nuclear weapons. An estimated 230,000 people were killed in the immediate nuclear explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but many more surviving Hibashuka still bear the scars until today. Countless Hibashuka died of suicide or of the diseases associated with radiation poisoning, and a large number who may have been unharmed physically still bear the mental weight of surviving such a traumatic attack. 74% of Hibashuka report anxiety, and 1 in 4 have expressed suicidal thoughts or feelings in a survey conducted by Nihon Hidankyo.[1] By speaking about their experiences through Nihon Hidankyo’s activities such as their public talks and statements, the Hibashuka are able to act as living history. In doing so, they humanize the statistics of the atomic bombings’ death tolls, ensuring that no person on Earth will be able to ignore or disregard the dangers and costs of the continued existence of nuclear weapons.
At a time in which nuclear tensions are rising once more, it is becoming increasingly important for groups such as Nihon Hidankyo to speak up and remind us of the threats and implications of retaining nuclear weapons. Although the Hibashuka may be growing in age, their voice has not decreased in volume. They remain active, recently issuing statements protesting Russia and the United States’ nuclear weapons testing as well as hosting an exhibition on the atomic bomb’s effects on people at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Although not all of us may be Nobel Prize winners, we can certainly follow Nihon Hidankyo’s philosophy of speaking up for survivors and in our daily lives to carry on the torch of the victims of injustices in this world.
[1] “Welcome to HIDANKYO in Japanese,” accessed October 16, 2024, http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hidankyo/nihon/english/about/about1-01.html
