Toshiyuki Mimaki, a Hiroshima bombing survivor, expressed surprise that those defending Gaza did not win the Nobel Peace Prize while accepting it on behalf of Nihon Hidankyo on Friday. At a press conference, Mimaki warned against the use of nuclear weapons, calling the humanitarian crisis in Gaza reminiscent of Japan’s plight during World War II.
- What he said: Nihon Hidankyo, also known as the Hibakusha, is a group of atomic bomb survivors advocating for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The group was named winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, surprising co-head Mimaki. “They selected Nihon Hidankyo? I thought those fighting hard for peace in Gaza would deserve it,” he told reporters. Witnessing the horrors of nuclear war as a young child, he raised concerns about escalation, warning, “If Russia uses [nuclear weapons] against Ukraine, Israel against Gaza, it won’t end there.” He also drew a striking parallel between the suffering of Gazan children and Japanese children in the aftermath of the 1945 bombing, saying, “In Gaza, bleeding children are being held. It’s like in Japan 80 years ago.”
- Israel responds: In an X post on Saturday, Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen congratulated Nihon Hidankyo but sharply criticized Mimaki’s comparison of Gaza to post-war Japan, calling it “outrageous and baseless.” Pointing out the group’s lack of statement on the events of Oct. 7, 2023, Cohen argued that such remarks “distort history and dishonor the victims” of Japan’s atomic bombings. The ambassador also reiterated that Gaza is ruled by Hamas, “a murderous terrorist organization” committing a double war crime of “targeting Israeli civilians, including women and children, while using its own people as human shields.”
