The Nippon Sei Ko Kai (The Anglican Church in Japan) has paid tribute to Nihon Hidankyo, the Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations, which has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Nihon Hidankyo began in 1956. It is a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It lobbies both the Japanese government for improved support of the victims and governments worldwide for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The organisation sends survivors around the world to share their testimonies 

Nobel Committee Chair Joergen Watne Frydnes said the group had "contributed greatly to the establishment of the nuclear taboo". Mr Frydnes warned the "nuclear taboo" was now "under pressure" - and praised the group's use of witness testimony to ensure nuclear weapons must never be used again. 

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 killed an estimated 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 74,000 people in Nagasaki. Japan's surrender, announced by Emperor Hirohito shortly afterwards, ended World War Two. 

Speaking about the Hibakusha (surviving victims) and the Nobel Peace Award to Nihon Hidankyo, The Most Reverend David Eisho Uehara (Primate of the Anglican Church in Japan) and The Right Reverend Francis Kiyosumi Hasegawa (Chairperson, Justice and Peace Committee) said: 

“We pay heartfelt tribute to the Hibakusha of Hiroshima and Nagasaki who have long testified of their experiences to people in Japan and abroad, and who have consistently appealed for the abolition of nuclear weapons. 

The testimonies of the Hibakusha have not only transcended national borders, but have also inspired the next generation of young people to strive for peace. 

We hope that the awarding of this Nobel Prize to Nihon Hidankyo may serve as a warning against the wars that continue to take place in many parts of the world today. 

Nuclear weapons destroy all life, and we join with those who seek peace around the world in praying for the elimination of nuclear weapons from the world. 

We sincerely hope that the new Japanese government will take the voices of the Hibakusha seriously and sign and ratify the Nuclear Weapons Convention as soon as possible, thereby contributing greatly to the abolition of nuclear weapons.”