Joy and tears in Tokyo after atomic bomb survivors win Nobel Peace Prize

By Irene Wang

TOKYO (Reuters) - Although she was born long after the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were devastated by atomic bombs, 58-year-old Yoshiko Watanabe couldn't stop weeping on Friday night when she learned atomic survivors had won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Nihon Hidankyo group of atomic bomb survivors was awarded the Peace Prize in recognition of its efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons and demonstrating, through witness testimony, that the weapons must never be used again, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in its citation.

The award is likely to renew attention on the legacy of the survivors, known as "hibakusha", and Japan's painful place in history as the only country to have nuclear weapons used against it. Next year will mark the 80th anniversary of the August 1945 bombings. 

"They are a group of people delivering the message to the world, so as a Japanese I think this is truly wonderful, and I can only express my gratitude to those who awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Japan," Tokyo resident Watanabe told Reuters, as she wept openly on a street in the Shinbashi district.

"I'm sorry, I can't help but crying."

Nearby, workers handed out copies of a special late edition of the Asahi newspaper that carried the news. While the atomic bombs were a devastating personal tragedy for the more than 106,000 survivors still alive, they also become part of Japan's national consciousness.

Many Japanese still feel the United States should apologise for the bombings, which killed hundreds of thousands and forced Japan's surrender. Following World War Two, Japan renounced the right to wage war itself and maintains self-defence forces. It relies on the United States for protection.

"As a Japanese I feel extremely happy," said 53-year-old Ryosuke Kobayashi, who works at a real estate agency. "I hope this will further raise the global awareness about peace."

While there are still more than 106,000 atomic bomb survivors registered in Japan as of March, given that their average age is 85.6 years, there has long been concern that younger Japanese and people outside the country are becoming less familiar with the terrible lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"I think there are many people who don’t fully understand what an atomic bomb is, so I think Japan should do the utmost to raise awareness about it," said 78-year-old Tomoko Okuuchi.

"I hope by receiving an international award, it will help us to spread the message even more."

(Reporting by Irene Wang; Writing by David Dolan)