The Minamata Disease
One of the gravest social issue in Japan in these decades is the Minamata disease.
Minamata disease, sometimes referred to as Chisso-Minamata disease, is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. Symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, narrowing of the field of vision and damage to hearing and speech. In extreme cases, insanity, paralysis, coma, and death follow within weeks of the onset of symptoms. A congenital form of the disease can also affect foetuses in the womb.
Minamata disease was first discovered in Minamata city in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, in 1956. It was caused by the release of methylmercury in the industrial wastewater from the Chisso Corporation's chemical factory, which continued from 1932 to 1968. This highly toxic chemical bioaccumulated in shellfish and fish in Minamata Bay and the Shiranui Sea, which when eaten by the local populace resulted in mercury poisoning. While cat, dog, pig, and human deaths continued over more than 30 years, the government and company did little to prevent the pollution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease
Though this pollution disease first surfaced in 1952 as the fetal Minamata disease was reported, it was in 1973 that the company causing the pollution of the sea, called Chisso Corporation, concluded a compensation agreement with the victims. In this agreement, only 3,000 patients were officially recognized as the victims of the Minamata disease. Each of the recognized patients received 16 to 18 million yen (more than $200,000) and other benefits.
Many Japanese people thought that the Minamata disease issue was going to be fully fixed, which was however betrayed.
In 1995, many of unrecognized patients who had been working on Chisso, politicians, and the public administration/judiciary for decades agreed to accept an arbitration proposal arranged by some political parties. Each victim received about 2.6 million yen ($30,000) as lump-sum payment and other medical payment support. The number of the victims who accepted this compensation was about 12,700.
In 2004, the Supreme Court admitted responsibility of the Japanese Government and Kumamoto Prefecture, where Minamata City belongs, for not effectively preventing expansion of the Minamata syndrome. Then, other residents in and around Minamata City started to reveal their illness caused by the Minamata sea pollution to receive some medical insurance support. The number of the applicants to this support was about 6,500. In addition, other 4,600 citizens who have also suffered the Minamata disease but not been recognized as victims before started to apply to a compensation scheme based on public health laws.
In 2009, the Japanese Government established a new special law to rescue patients of the Minamata disease and solve the Minamata disease problem as a kind of final measure to fix the matter sufficiently. In 2010, a concrete policy to apply this special law was adopted at a Cabinet meeting. Accordingly, the Government started to provide 2.1 million yen ($26,000) as lump-sum payment and other medical payment support for unrecognized citizens suffering disorder of sensation who have lived around the Minamata City.
The struggle still continues even today for MInamata disease patients and citizens who are enduring physical agony without being recognized as Minamata victims.
One interesting episode about the Minamata disease issue is that one of former presidents of Chisso Corporation is a deceased grandfather of the incumbent Crown Princess of Japan who is to become Empress of Japan someday.
And one tragic aspect of Minamata is that many people who were apparently victims of the Minamata pollution did not reveal their illness as they were afraid of social discrimination and prejudice. They were afraid that their sons and daughters might not be able to marry due to the Minamata disease.
And one tragic aspect of Minamata is that many people who were apparently victims of the Minamata pollution did not reveal their illness as they were afraid of social discrimination and prejudice. They were afraid that their sons and daughters might not be able to marry due to the Minamata disease.
Incidentally, when the Crown Prince made clear his hope to marry a granddaughter of a former president of Chisso, it is said that the Imperial Household Agency studied how the Minamata connection of the future Crown Princess would affect the public opinion about the Imperial Court. And, today, though it has probably nothing to do with the Minamata connection, the Crown Princess cannot perfectly function and fulfill her duty as a key member of the Imperial House. When visiting a foreign country, the Crown Prince is seldom accompanied by the Crown Princess.
http://www.kyoiku.metro.tokyo.jp/buka/shidou/kankyo/t_gakusyu/gakusyu02-07-01.htm
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Mat 8:2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
Mat 8:3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.