Nihon Hidankyo members hope surprise Nobel win cements nuclear taboo

A day after Nihon Hidankyo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons, members of the group on Saturday expressed surprise and gratitude over the award, but also noted the pressing need to pass down their efforts to the younger generation — especially as the taboo over the use of the weapons continues to erode.

“I had to pinch my cheeks to make sure,” Toshiyuki Mimaki, a senior Nihon Hidankyo member, told a news conference in Tokyo, describing his feeling when he heard the news.

Members recounted how Hidankyo’s name had been thrown around as a possible contender for the peace prize many times over the past several decades, but said they were completely caught off-guard when the announcement came Friday.