Japanese atomic bomb survivors say Nobel Peace Prize gives fresh impetus to disarmament push

TOKYO (AP) — Survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki said receiving a Nobel Peace Prize has given them a fresh incentive to campaign for nuclear disarmament ahead of the 80th anniversary of the 1945 attacks.

“I felt like I needed to work even harder on what I had done so far,” said Terumi Tanaka, who survived the atomic attack on Nagasaki on Aug. 9. 1945.

Tanaka, 92, was speaking at a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday after returning from Oslo where he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize award on behalf of Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese atomic bomb survivors’ organization.

Next year marks “a significant milestone of 80 years” since the end of World War II, Tanaka, who is co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, said.

“I believe it is important to focus on the next 10 years and strengthen the movement moving forward,” he added. “I would like to lead a big movement of testimonials.”

Tanaka, a retired materials engineering professor, said he wants Japan to take the leadership in nuclear disarmament.

“What else is there for Japan, the only country to have suffered atomic attacks, to do other than leading the nuclear disarmament?”

That’s what Tanaka said he will ask Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who supports nuclear deterrence, when they are expected to meet in January. Japan, protected under the U.S. nuclear umbrella, has refused to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons despite repeated requests by survivors.

Michiko Kodama, who survived the first atomic bombing, on Hiroshima three days before the Nagasaki blast, said she felt the Nobel award and the congratulatory messages were so rewarding after decades of hardship, discrimination and fear of health effects from radiation, but she wants more people to know what nuclear weapons really do to them.

“We hibakusha (survivors) who saw the hell... within a decade won't be around to tell the reality of the atomic bombing,” said Kodama, who was 7 in August 1945. “I want to keep telling our stories as long as we live.”

Nihon Hidankyo is a grassroots movement of Japanese atomic bombing survivors who have worked for nearly 70 years to maintain a taboo around the use of nuclear weapons. The weapons have grown exponentially in power and number since being used for the first and only time in warfare by the United States on Japan.

The first U.S. atomic bombing killed 140,000 people in the city of Hiroshima. A second atomic attack on Nagasaki killed another 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, bringing an end to a conflict that began with Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 during its attempt to conquer Asia.

Terumi Tanaka, one of representatives of this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner Nihon Hidankyo, or the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, arrives for a press conference at Japan National Press Club Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Terumi Tanaka, one of representatives of this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner Nihon Hidankyo, or the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, attend a press conference at Japan National Press Club Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Terumi Tanaka, one of representatives of this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner Nihon Hidankyo, or the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, attend a press conference at Japan National Press Club Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

From left, Jiro Hamasumi, Terumi Tanaka and Michiko Kodama, representatives of this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner Nihon Hidankyo, or the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, attend a press conference at Japan National Press Club Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

From left, Jiro Hamasumi, Terumi Tanaka and Michiko Kodama, representatives of this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner Nihon Hidankyo, or the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, attend a press conference at Japan National Press Club Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

NEW DELHI (AP) — Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker known for pioneering a cinema movement that tackled social issues in the 1970s, has died after chronic kidney disease. He was 90.

His contribution to cinema was recognized as a director, editor and screenwriter. He came into the limelight with films — Ankur (1974), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976) and Bhumika (1977) — that challenged mainstream Bollywood by dealing with the social realities of a poor nation.

Benegal died Monday at Mumbai’s Wockhardt Hospital, and his cremation will take place on Tuesday, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, citing his daughter Piya.

"Benegal had been suffering from chronic kidney disease for several years but it had gotten very bad,” Piya said.

Many paid tribute to the filmmaker on social media platform X.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt wrote that Benegal told stories without pretense. "They were raw and real, about the struggles of ordinary people. His films had craft and conviction.”

"Deeply saddened by the passing of Shyam Benegal, whose storytelling had a profound impact on Indian cinema. His works will continue to be admired by people from different walks of life," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted.

Benegal was a mentor to top Indian actors including Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri who made their mark in Bollywood’s popular cinema as well.

"I have lost my foster father, a man to whom I owe more than I can say,” Shah posted.

"Shyam Benegal was not just a legend; he was a visionary who redefined storytelling and inspired generations,” said actor Manoj Bajpayee.

The film Ankur explored the feudal divide in India, while Manthan was based on the story of the country’s cooperative dairy milk movement.

Benegal also was widely known for “Bharat Ek Khoj,” a landmark 53-episode television series based on the book “Discovery of India,” written by India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. It chronicled the country’s troubled passages, from ancient times to modernity.

He also directed a 2023 biopic on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh’s freedom struggle against Pakistan in the 1970s. Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August following a student movement, is the daughter of Rahman.

Benegal was born in 1934 in Hyderabad in southern India. He earned an economics degree from Hyderabad’s Osmania University and established the Hyderabad Film Society. He also ventured into advertising, where he directed over 900 sponsored documentaries and advertising films.

Benegal also is survived by his wife, Nira Benegal.

Friends and relatives pay homage to Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker who passed away on Monday, during Benegal's funeral in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Indian film maker and poet Gulzar, left, pay homage to Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker who passed away on Monday, during Benegal's funeral in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Indian actress Ila Arun, left, pay homage to Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker who passed away on Monday, during Benegal's funeral in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Bollywood actors Boman Irani, right, and Naseeruddin Shah pay homage to Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker who passed away on Monday, during Benegal's funeral in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Bollywood actor Boman Irani, right, pays homage to Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker who passed away on Monday, during Benegal's funeral in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Police officers carry the body of Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker who passed away on Monday, during Benegal's funeral in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

FILE - Indian film directors Shyam Benegal, right, is seen during a discussion on Indian Cinema in Hyderabad, India, Monday, Feb. 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A, File)