The Mainichi Shimbun answers some common questions readers may have about the background of the Nobel Peace Prize, which was given this year to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, commonly called Nihon Hidankyo.

Question: Why is there a Nobel Peace Prize?

Answer: Because it was the last will and testament of Alfred Nobel, the chemist who established the Nobel Prize. He wished for the prize to be created using his legacy, and wrote that recipients should include those "who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

Q: Who chooses the laureate?

A: While the Nobel Prize recipients in the other fields, such as physics, are selected by a Swedish organization, the peace prize laureate is decided by a committee of five members appointed by the Norwegian parliament. This was also the will of Nobel, and he may have thought that the selection process would be more neutral because of Norway's contributions to the peaceful resolution of international conflicts.

Q: How is the winner selected?

A: Nominations are solicited from parliament members of countries eligible to recommend candidates, as well as from past Nobel laureates. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 1, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee selects the laureate from these candidates over a period of several months. This year, 197 individuals and 89 organizations were nominated. The list of nominees and the selection process is not made public until 50 years later.

Q: Has a Japanese individual or organization received the peace prize before?

A: Only once. Former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato (1901-1975) was selected in 1974. He had promoted the "three non-nuclear principles": not possessing, producing or permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons into Japan. Nihon Hidankyo is the first Japanese organization to receive the prize.

Q: When is the award ceremony held?

A: It's held at Oslo City Hall on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death. In 2023, laureate Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian human rights activist, sent a message from prison and her two children attended the ceremony on her behalf.

(Japanese original by Kana Takagi, Osaka City News Department)