Photo/Illutration Young people aiming to abolish nuclear weapons watch a live broadcast of the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony at the social book cafe Hachidori-sha in Hiroshima on Dec. 10. (Hayashi Yanagawa)

HIROSHIMA—Throughout this city, which was once devastated by an atomic bomb, people gathered at public viewings, celebrations and events to watch the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony honoring Nihon Hidankyo on Dec. 10.

At the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, a celebratory event was held by the city and the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation.

Around 300 people, including hibakusha and A-bomb Legacy Successors, who pass on survivors’ stories, gathered around a large screen to watch a live broadcast of the award ceremony.

The crowd erupted into applause when Terumi Tanaka, the co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo (the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), received the medal.

Before the public viewing, Chieko Kiriake, 95, addressed the audience.

Kiriake survived the bombing on Aug. 6, 1945, despite being only about two kilometers from ground zero.

She reflected on the loss of many colleagues, who had been working to clear debris from sites where buildings had been demolished to create firebreaks.

“Taking care of your friends, family and yourself―those closest to you―is the first step toward peace,” Kiriake said in her speech.

Sachi Okamoto, a 23-year-old graduate student at Prefectural University of Hiroshima, spoke as a youth representative.

“What stayed with me was Tanaka’s speech, in which he expressed his hopes for the next generation,” she said.

Okamoto volunteers as an English guide for tourists visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

“Even after graduating, I want to continue contributing to Hiroshima,” she said.

The award ceremony was also broadcast at the social book cafe Hachidori-sha where members of Kakuwaka Hiroshima, a group of young people who advocate for abolishing nuclear weapons, gathered to watch.

“I was most struck by Tanaka’s speech when he reiterated that the government does not provide compensation for atomic bomb victims,” said Miho Tanaka, 30, co-chair of the group.

“That point is still not widely understood, and I feel I need to help convey it,” she said.

Ahead of the award ceremony, a session titled “listening to the voices of hibakusha” was held in the basement of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

The event was organized by the nonprofit organizations, the ANT―Hiroshima and the Hiroshima NPO Center. Fourteen survivors and second-generation hibakusha shared their experiences and stories.

Sumiko Yamada was just 2 at the time of the bombing. She lost her parents, who had been involved in building demolition work, and became an orphan.

“A child cannot live alone. I moved from one relative’s home to another, spending my days in hallways or storage rooms. I didn’t belong anywhere,” Yamada recalled.

“I believe (the Nobel Peace Prize) was awarded for the many hibakusha who have suffered,” she said.

Hiromu Morishita, who was 14 and about 1.5 kilometers from ground zero during the bombing, suffered burns on his face and body.

“When the flash exploded, it felt like being thrown into a giant blast furnace,” he said.

Reflecting on his years of peace activism, Morishita said, “I want young people to actively engage in peace movements.”

Kim Jin-ho, an in-utero atomic bomb survivor and head of the Hiroshima Prefecture association for Korean atomic bomb survivors, asked, “Why were tens of thousands of people from the Korean Peninsula exposed to the bombing?”

“It is a result of Japan’s colonial policies. I’m sad that this is so little known in Japanese society,” he said.

Near the Atomic Bomb Dome, around 120 people gathered at an event to celebrate the award, organized by the Hiroshima prefectural Hidankyo and the Hiroshima Congress against A- and H-Bombs.

Seiji Takato, 83, who was exposed to radioactive “black rain” in the aftermath of the bombing, said, “With the Nobel Peace Prize in my heart, I will continue to raise awareness about the horrors of radiation exposure.”

(This article was written by Akari Uozumi and Hayashi Yanagawa.)

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