FOCUS: Aging of Hibakusha Puts Nihon Hidankyo at Crossroads

Tokyo, Aug. 18 (Jiji Press)–As Japan’s hibakusha atomic bomb survivors rapidly age, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, faces a critical juncture, with plans to decide by next summer whether to dissolve or continue its activities. Nihon Hidankyo, the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, marked the 70th anniversary of its founding this month. Amid this uncertainty, the children of hibakusha are playing an increasingly prominent role as standard-bearers of the antinuclear movement. Average Age over 86 Nihon Hidankyo is the only nationwide organization of hibakusha, the survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, during the closing days of World War II. Since its establishment in August 1956, Nihon Hidankyo has campaigned for the abolition of nuclear weapons and for state compensation for the damage suffered by survivors. The organization has worked to secure relief legislation for hibakusha, appealed for nuclear abolition at the United Nations and other international forums, and played a key role in efforts that contributed to the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. In 2024, Nihon Hidankyo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its contribution to establishing the international norm known as the “nuclear taboo,” the principle that the use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable. Hibakusha organizations affiliated with the confederation were once active in Japan’s all 47 prefectures, but groups in 13 prefectures have disbanded due to aging membership and other factors. In June, about 90 hibakusha and supporters from across Japan attended Nihon Hidankyo’s regular general meeting in Tokyo, where many participants shared a sense that the confederation had reached a critical point and must decide its future. Nihon Hidankyo has been considering its long-term future for about a decade. Discussions have focused on two options: a continuation plan, under which second-generation members and other supporters would carry on the organization’s work, and a dissolution plan that would see the organization cease operations At the meeting, members adopted a policy to continue discussions for one year and reach a conclusion at next year’s general meeting. According to the welfare ministry, the number of hibakusha nationwide holding atomic bomb survivor certificates stood at 91,105 as of the end of March this year, with an average age of 86.66. The number peaked at 372,264 in 1981, but fell below 100,000 for the first time last year. Second Generation As hibakusha grow older, the role of second-generation hibakusha–the children of atomic bomb survivors–is becoming increasingly important. A nationwide survey conducted from December last year through January this year by Nihon Hidankyo’s second-generation committee found that 18 second-generation organizations that work with Nihon Hidankyo were operating in 17 prefectures. Their membership totaled 1,999 people, including third-generation members. These organizations are engaged in activities such as holding atomic bomb exhibitions, collecting signatures for antinuclear campaigns, and sharing the experiences of their parents and grandparents. The survey also found that some second-generation members were serving in executive positions within prefectural organizations that make up Nihon Hidankyo, helping to sustain and support their activities. In five organizations–those in Toyama, Yamanashi, Shimane, Kumamoto and Oita prefectures–second-generation hibakusha served as chair or president. Second-generation members served as vice chair or vice president in nine organizations, and as secretary-general in 10. Asked what activities will be necessary in the years ahead, one respondent emphasized the need to consider “how we should carry on our activities after there are no more hibakusha, and how we should entrust (the activities) to the third generation.” Nihon Hidankyo was founded in Nagasaki on Aug. 10, 1956, declaring, “We have reassured our will to save humanity from its crisis through the lessons learned from our experiences, while at the same time saving ourselves.” After this year’s regular general meeting, co-chair Terumi Tanaka, 94, said, “We must create a movement in which we commit ourselves to eliminating nuclear weapons.” He added: “The name and members (of the organization) are not the issue. As long as we don’t abandon our dream, an organization will come into being as a result.” The era in which hibakusha, who have borne witness to the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, are no longer among us is fast approaching. At the same time, the path toward nuclear abolition has grown even more difficult, due in part to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a nuclear power and rising tensions in the Middle East. How to live in the nuclear age is a question posed to each and every one of us. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]