GAZA — The situation facing children in Gaza today resembles Japan's plight after the atomic bombings in World War II, according to Toshiyuki Mimaki, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning group representing survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

“In Gaza, bleeding children are being held by their parents. It's like Japan 80 years ago,” Mimaki said during a news conference in Tokyo.

“Children in Hiroshima and Nagasaki lost their fathers in the war and their mothers in the bombings. They became orphans.”

Mimaki criticized the persistence of war, pointing out parallels between the conflicts involving Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Gaza.

"The people are wishing for peace. But politicians insist on waging war, saying, 'We won't stop until we win.' I wonder if the power of the United Nations couldn't put a stop to it," he said.

He also cautioned against the notion that nuclear weapons guarantee peace, warning that they could fall into the hands of terrorists. “If Russia uses them against Ukraine, or Israel against Gaza, it won’t stop there,” he warned.

Mimaki, a Hiroshima survivor, was only three years old when the atomic bomb struck the city on August 6, 1945, killing 140,000 people. Three days later, Nagasaki was bombed, claiming an additional 70,000 lives. Japan surrendered shortly after on August 15, 1945, ending World War II.

Nihon Hidankyo, founded in 1956, has long been a voice for atomic bomb survivors, advocating for the complete abolition of nuclear weapons and sharing testimonies of the devastating effects of nuclear warfare. The organization was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts in raising awareness of the horrors of nuclear weapons. — Agencies