Ceremony Held on 70th Anniv. Of Minamata Disease Recognition

Minamata, Kumamoto Pref., May 1 (Jiji Press)–A ceremony to remember Minamata disease victims was held in the southwestern Japan city of Minamata on Friday, the 70th anniversary of the official recognition of the neurological disorder caused by polluted industrial wastewater. The event, held at Eco Park Minamata in the city in Kumamoto Prefecture, was attended by about 780 people, including Minamata disease patients and bereaved families, as well as Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara and Keizo Yamada, president of chemical maker Chisso Corp. Local residents were affected by the disease after eating fish and shellfish contaminated by methylmercury contained in the wastewater released from a plant of Chisso’s predecessor, with symptoms including numbness in hands and feet, and loss of peripheral vision. Patients are grouped into those displaying severe symptoms due to ingestion of a large amount of methylmercury, those born with disorders due to in-utero exposure to the toxic substance and those whose symptoms gradually progressed over time. Participants of Friday’s ceremony observed a minute of silence. “As local residents, it is our duty to remember the lessons of the past, foster hope for the future and turn that hope into reality,” Minamata Mayor Toshiharu Takaoka said. Masami Ogata, a 68-year-old certified Minamata disease patient, said, “We’ve experienced unparalleled ‘pollution’ due to the disease, including the loss of our loved ones, health issues, discrimination, prejudice and division among local communities.” The problem “will only truly be resolved when all people face up to what happened, reflect from the bottom of their hearts and learn their lessons,” he added. Ishihara said that he, as a representative of the government, “sincerely” apologizes again for failing to prevent people from developing the disease. Chisso chief Yamada also apologized, saying, “We deeply regret that (the disease) has led to so many victims and that we’ve caused a great deal of trouble to people in the surrounding areas.” Also on Friday, a separate memorial event was held by a group of Minamata disease patients at a monument in the city, with about 60 participants offering their prayers to the victims. Akinori Iwamoto, 75, who heads the group, said that the Minamata disease is “not over yet.” He voiced hopes that the issue would be resolved quickly. The first case of the disease was confirmed in Minamata back in 1956. Under the law on compensation for pollution-related health damage enacted in 1973, a total of 2,284 people in Kumamoto and neighboring Kagoshima Prefecture had been recognized as patients by the end of March this year. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]