Naoko was invited to the Nobel Institute in Oslo on June 24 2025 to meet the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes. Mr. Frydnes and his committee gave last year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, a group of Japanese atomic bomb survivors.
Mr. Frydnes was interested in my latest book ’The Martyr and the Red Kimono’ because one of the three protagonists is a Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor. The theme of the book is the quest for peace and humanity.
Mr. Frydnes was going to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in July, and had questions to ask Naoko.
It was a great honour to meet such an influential person. During the 40-minute meeting, Mr. Frydnes told Naoko that her book ‘contributes to raising awareness about the threat of nuclear weapons’.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes and Naoko Abe at the Nobel Institute in Oslo
The Nobel Peace medal given to Hidankyo in Dec.2024
Naoko’s book ‘The Martyr and the Red Kimono’ was displayed and on sale at the Nobel Peace Centre.
