A delegation of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, departed from Tokyo Sunday to collect the Nobel Peace Prize at Tuesday's award ceremony in Oslo, Norway.
During the ceremony, Nihon Hidankyo's three co-chairs, including Terumi Tanaka, a 92-year-old hibakusha atomic bomb survivor, will take the stage to receive medals and certificates while Tanaka will give a speech.
The delegation to be entering Oslo consists of 30 people aged 32 to 92, including second- and third-generation hibakusha. Of the 30, the vast majority departed from Tokyo's Haneda Airport and will arrive in Oslo on Sunday night local time. Seven others will take different routes to Oslo.
"To continue what hibakusha have done, we need the support of the world," Tanaka told reporters before his departure.
He said he will explain in his speech Nihon Hidankyo's efforts of calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. He will also talk about what he wants younger generations to inherit.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, 82, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, said, "The whole world should be seeking peace, but there is no progress." He added, "We must never forget what happened 79 years ago."
The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and another on Nagasaki three days later, in the closing days of World War II.
The Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony will be held from 1 p.m. Tuesday, followed by a banquet. Tanaka and two others will meet Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store the following day, and other delegation members will interact with local high school and university students. The group will return to Japan on Friday morning.
Nihon Hidankyo raised money through crowdfunding to cover costs for travel to Oslo, and about ¥39 million, nearly four times the target amount, was collected.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.