Report by Ms. Lorena Schlicht, Mayors for Peace France (AFCDRP)
As part of the French Peace Nobel Tour, organised by Le Mouvement pour la Paix and Mayors for Peace France, a delegation of Hibakusha—survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki— toured several cities in southern France in November 2025, across the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Occitanie regions. Through press conferences, meetings with secondary school students, university students, elected officials and citizens, the delegation delivered a clear and urgent message: nuclear weapons must be abolished.
The year 2025 marked the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945. By the end of 1945, approximately 140,000 people had died in Hiroshima and nearly 70,000 in Nagasaki. Hundreds of thousands more were injured, and generations have since suffered from cancers and leukaemia caused by radiation. These bombings remain a symbol of total destruction and the absolute necessity of nuclear disarmament.
Since then, Hibakusha have tirelessly shared their testimonies so that humanity does not forget. In 2024, the Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo, representing survivors of the atomic bombings, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its commitment to memory transmission, education and the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Mr. Hideto Matsuura, a Hibakusha and representative of Nihon Hidankyo, recipient of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, took part in the delegation alongside Ms. Masako Watanabe and Ms. Yayoi Tsushida, representatives of Gensuikyo (Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs).
Born a few months after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Mr. Matsuura shared the story of his mother’s survival while seven months pregnant and bore witness to the long-term, invisible cruelty of radiation. His testimony powerfully illustrated the enduring human cost of nuclear weapons, reaching far beyond the moment of destruction and continuing across generations.
Throughout the tour, the delegation also called on France and other nuclear-armed states to sign and fully implement the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which entered into force in 2021. At a time of rising global tensions, accelerating climate change and record military spending, the French Peace Nobel Tour reaffirmed a vital message: peace, cooperation and solidarity between peoples are the only paths toward a safe and just future.
Watch the video report of one initiative here (in French):
Find the programme, press materials and official website (in French):
Photos: courtesy of Mayors for Peace France
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