Nobel Peace Prize winner who survived atomic bombing recounts horror

(CLO) On December 10, a 92-year-old Japanese man, one of the survivors of the US atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945, recounted the painful moment of the disaster he witnessed with his own eyes, when he received this year's Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of his organization.

This year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a group of survivors of the atomic bombings in Japan that has worked for nearly 70 years to uphold the ban on nuclear weapons.

In his acceptance speech at Oslo City Hall, witnessed by the Norwegian royal family, Terumi Tanaka (92 years old), one of the survivors of the US atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945, said: "The nuclear superpower Russia threatened to use nuclear weapons in the war with Ukraine, and a member of the Israeli cabinet, amid relentless attacks on Gaza, also mentioned the possibility of using nuclear weapons."

“I am deeply saddened and angry that the nuclear taboo is at risk of being broken,” he continued.

Mr. Terumi Tanaka concludes his speech at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on December 10. Photo: AP

In his speech, Mr. Tanaka recalled the attack on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. He recalled the sound of the bombers and the “bright white light” as the bomb fell, followed by a powerful shock wave. Three days later, he and his mother searched for relatives in the rubble near the epicenter.

Mr Tanaka described the heartbreaking scenes: "Many people were severely injured or burned, but still alive, left without any care. My emotions were almost numb, I just focused on my goal." He found the charred bodies of his aunt, nephew and nephew's grandfather, who had died of severe burns shortly before he arrived. In total, five members of his family died.

He recounts the efforts of survivors like him to use their experiences to campaign against nuclear weapons, for the good of humanity, while also demanding compensation from the Japanese government for the pain they endured.

“The belief that nuclear weapons cannot and should not coexist with humanity will be accepted by citizens of nuclear-weapon states and their allies, and this will become the driving force for change in governments’ nuclear policies,” Mr. Tanaka said.

Nuclear weapons have grown in power and number since they were first used by the United States in war at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The atomic bombings forced Japan to surrender in World War II, and killed an estimated 210,000 people by the end of 1945. The death toll from radiation and long-term effects was much higher.

As survivors of the disaster enter their twilight years, they continue to fear that the ban on the use of nuclear weapons, a principle considered sacred, is being eroded.

In his speech introducing the laureates, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chairman of the Nobel Committee, stressed the importance of the sharing of these living examples in the context of the growing nuclear danger.

“None of the nine nuclear weapons states – the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea – currently appear interested in nuclear disarmament. On the contrary, they are modernizing and expanding their nuclear arsenals,” Mr Frydnes said.

Mr. Frydnes also emphasized that the Norwegian Nobel Committee has called on the five nuclear-weapon states that have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), including the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom, to seriously implement their obligations under this treaty, and called on countries that have not yet ratified the treaty to do the same.

Ngoc Anh (according to AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nguoi-doat-giai-nobel-hoa-binh-ke-lai-noi-kinh-hoang-vu-danh-bom-nguyen-tu-post325145.html