TOKYO: Leaders of the atomic bomb survivors’ group, recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize, warned on Saturday about the escalating risk of nuclear war, urging for the complete abolition of nuclear weapons.
Shigemitsu Tanaka, a survivor of the 1945 U.S. bombing of Nagasaki and co-head of the Nihon Hidankyo group, expressed deep concern over the deteriorating global security landscape.
“The international situation is getting progressively worse, and now wars are being waged as countries threaten the use of nuclear weapons,” he said.
He emphasized the urgency of addressing this issue, stating, “I fear that we as humankind are on the path to self-destruction. The only way to stop that is to abolish nuclear weapons.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the survivors the prestigious prize, highlighting their efforts over decades to promote disarmament and the elimination of nuclear arms, in remembrance of the catastrophic impact of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The committee noted the group’s work is increasingly critical in today’s world but refrained from naming specific countries in their statement.
The call for nuclear disarmament comes at a time of heightened tensions in global geopolitics.
Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted that Moscow might consider using nuclear weapons in response to perceived threats from the West, particularly if Ukraine were to strike deep into Russian territory using long-range Western missiles.
