Photo/Illutration A view of a bust of Alfred Nobel outside the Norwegian Nobel Institute, where the laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize is announced, in Oslo, Norway, on Oct. 11. (REUTERS/ Tom Little)

Norwegian historian Geir Lundestad, who served as director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute for a quarter of a century until 2014, recalled the selection process for the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize in his memoir.

Referring to Nihon Hidankyo (the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), which was named this year’s winner, he noted to the effect, “Had these candidates from Japan been awarded the Peace Prize, they could have reminded the world of the horrific power of nuclear weapons.”

That year’s peace prize went instead to the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs and its co-founder. This is an international organization of scientists calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Reporters covering the announcement of the award recipient(s) were said to have been caught off-guard by the outcome.

Twenty-nine years have passed since then, and now Nihon Hidankyo is this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Was this a surprise? I watched the announcement live on TV, and I was certainly surprised, because I had expected the award to go to someone who had something to do with Ukraine or Gaza.

But the selection of Nihon Hidankyo made perfect sense when reading the statement to the media issued by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which cited “threats ... to use nuclear weapons in ongoing warfare.”

Among other anti-nuclear groups, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War was awarded the 1985 Peace Prize. It was during the Cold War, and the first U.S.-Soviet summit in six and a half years was about to take place. I understand that the choice of this group was meant as a warning against the escalation of the nuclear arms race.

And this year, too, I think the Nobel Committee is sending a message to our highly volatile world.

More than two and a half years have elapsed since the Russia invaded Ukraine. And with Israel’s war in Gaza spreading to Lebanon, the threat of nuclear weapons being used is definitely growing.

Lundestad once wrote that what the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize share in common are their vision of a better world and their commitment to make it come true.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 12

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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