ABCP since its foundation in June 1970, through its National Centers, has been raising its voice for nuclear disarmament, against the arms race and for world peace and security.
Most Ven. D. Choijamts, President of ABCO, sent a a congratulatory message to “Nihon Hidankyo” a grassroots Japanese organization of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki for winning the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to “achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.”
The ABCP HQ received a reply message from Nihon Hidankyo thanking ABCP for the message.
Japan Religious Persons Council for Peace, the parent organization of ABCP Japan National Center, has maintained a cooperative relationship with Nihon Hidankyo for many years.
Founded ion 1956, the local association of survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with the victims of nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific formed the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb sufferers Organization, shortened in Japanese to Nihon Hidankyo. This grassroots movement soon became the largest and most widely representative Hibakusha organization in Japan.
Two American bombs were dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which killed approximately 120,000 people. A comparable number died later of burn and radiation injuries. It is estimated that 650,000 people survived the attacks and their fate was long concealed and ignored until the foundation of Nihon Hidankyo.
The Japan ABCP National Center has been conducting movements for nuclear disarmament and the pursuit of peace in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and New York and Ven. Kyokey Ono, the center’s International Relations Officer and Chief Priest of Fujisan Daijobou, from Nichiren-shu in Yokosuka-shi, Kanagawa, Japan. The “Nihon Hidankyo is receiving the Peace Prize for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again” according to the official Press Release of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
It also received reaction from ABCP National Centers. The Japan ABCP National Center it its mail thanked the ABCP President for the congratulatory message, further noting “We have translated it (the congratulatory message into Japanese and already distributed it to all members of the ABCP Japan Center. Additionally, it will be featured in our monthly publication along with a copy of the original PDF.”
Mukunda Bista, Secretary of the Nepal ABCP National Center in his mail noted “Thank you for sharing this inspiring news. It is a profound pleasure to learn that Nihon Hidankyo has been honored with the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their noble efforts toward a world free of nuclear weapons. The ABCP Nepal Chapter joins in celebrating this extraordinary achievement,” and this feeling was joined also by the Bhutan, Bangladesh and India ABCP National Centers.
Ven. Kyokey Ono in Oslo during the Nobel prize awarding ceremony and at the Nobel Peace Center (Images courtesy of Ven. Kyokey Ono)
