OSLO (Kyodo) -- Survivors of the 1945 U.S. bomb attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki spoke on Wednesday of their experiences and called for nuclear abolition at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum in Oslo, a day after Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors, received the honor.

Interpreter Keiko Ogura, 87, and Masao Tomonaga, 81, honorary director of the Japanese Red Cross Nagasaki Genbaku Hospital, testified in English at the event focused on how to mitigate the risks of nuclear warfare and move toward nuclear disarmament. The two were present at the ceremony the previous day.

The forum was attended by some 250 people, including past Nobel Peace Prize winners. Experts on nuclear politics participated in discussions, with some warning that the world is on the brink of a renewed nuclear arms race.

"We want to see this planet without any nuclear weapons," said Ogura, who was 8 years old and just 2.4 kilometers from the hypocenter when the bomb was dropped over Hiroshima.

Ogura recalled giving water to wounded people at their request and witnessed them die immediately after, an experience that made her have "nightmares for so many years...I blamed myself, I killed people."

She urged people to take action themselves rather than relying on others and expressed hope that nuclear abolition will be achieved in her lifetime.

The founder of Hiroshima Interpreters for Peace, Ogura has worked as an interpreter for other hibakusha, or atomic bomb survivors, including the late Sunao Tsuboi, who was co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, and met with Group of Seven leaders at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum when their summit was held in the western Japan city in 2023.

Tomonaga noted the lifelong impact of the atomic bombing on people, both physically and psychologically, and said young generations "should recognize their responsibility" in helping realize a nuclear-free world.

"Don't wait. Our efforts will provide some results, but they must by themselves create a nuclear-free world," he added.

He was only 2 years old in Nagasaki when the atomic bomb detonated. Buried under the rubble of his house 2.5 km from the hypocenter, he was rescued by his mother.

Tomonaga became a doctor specializing in the aftereffects of the atomic bomb and has testified internationally, including at the United Nations, about the medical issues caused by the weapon.

Nihon Hidankyo, also known as the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, won the prize "for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again," according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

The win comes as heightening geopolitical tensions have raised concerns that nuclear weapons could be used again.

The U.S. atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the final days of World War II in August 1945, killing an estimated 214,000 people by the end of the year and leaving numerous survivors grappling with long-term physical and mental health challenges.