Nobel laureate likens Gaza situation to ‘Japan 80 years ago’

The situation for children in Gaza is similar to the situation in Japan at the end of World War II, the co-head of new Nobel Peace Prize winner Nihon Hidankyo said.

“In Gaza, bleeding children are being held (by their parents). It's like in Japan 80 years ago,” Toshiyuki Mimaki said at a news conference in Tokyo. “Children in Hiroshima and Nagasaki lost their fathers in the war and their mothers in the bombings. They became orphans.”

Mimaki, co-head of Nihon Hidankyo said, "They selected Nihon Hidankyo? I thought those fighting hard for peace in Gaza would deserve it."

He also warned the nuclear weapons don’t bring peace. "The people are wishing for peace. But politicians insist on waging war, saying, 'We won't stop until we win.' I think this true for Russia and Israel, and I always wonder whether the power of the United Nations couldn't put a stop to it," said Mimaki.

Toshiyuki Mimaki speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.

The idea that nuclear weapons bring peace is a fallacy, said the co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo. "It has been said that because of nuclear weapons, the world maintains peace. But nuclear weapons can be used by terrorists," Mimaki told reporters. "For example, if Russia uses them against Ukraine, Israel against Gaza, it won't end there. Politicians should know these things."

Mimaki was 3 years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug.6, 1945, killing 140,000 victims. Three days later, another bomb hit Nagasaki, killing an additional 70,000. Japan surrendered Aug.t 15, 1945, ending World War II.

This Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement representing survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as Hibakusha.

Nihon Hidankyo, founded in 1956, has been a voice for atomic bomb survivors, providing testimony of the horrors of nuclear warfare and

advocating for the total abolition of nuclear weapons.

Agencies