Leaders of the Nihon Hidankyo, a group representing survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, issued a stark warning on Saturday, saying that the threat of nuclear war is growing.
This comes as they renew their decades-long campaign to abolish nuclear weapons.
“The global situation is deteriorating, with wars now being fought under the looming threat of nuclear strikes,” said Shigemitsu Tanaka, co-leader of the group and a survivor of the 1945 Nagasaki bombing.
“I fear we are on a path toward self-destruction. The only way to prevent this is the complete abolition of nuclear weapons,” he further added.
The warning came shortly after the group was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, with the Norwegian Nobel Committee acknowledging their long-standing efforts to rid the world of nuclear arms. The committee highlighted the continued relevance of their work, given the current global tensions.
While no specific nations were named, the award and renewed calls for disarmament follow recent remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who suggested Moscow might resort to nuclear weapons if Western powers allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory with long-range missiles.