Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese organization of survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was awarded for its decadeslong activism against nuclear weapons. The survivors, known as hibakusha, see the prize and the international attention as their last chance to get their message out to younger generations.

TOKYO -- "I had been waiting, and waiting, and waiting for this day," Masakazu Saito, a 100-year-old hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) who has been calling for nuclear abolition for over 70 years, said after the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) won the Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 11.

Shigemitsu Tanaka, a member of Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), who survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki, cries after the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winner was announced in Nagasaki, Japan October 11, 2024, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS