Roger OngOn the sea banks west of the Eco-park Minamata, there lay a series of Jizo stone statues (a guardian deity that watches over children). They are all facing outwards towards the Yatsushiro Sea, which is also known as the Shiranui Sea. Each stone was picked by a victim of Minamata Disease from the sludge and carved into these spirit stones. These statues express their thoughts for the future of Minamata.
The presence of the Jizo statues’ comes two-fold. Behind them is the landfill that locks in the toxic mercury sludge that poisoned the city and its environment. They represent the spirit tablets guarding the souls lost to terrible Minamata Disease. They are also watching over the Shiranui Sea, protecting the Minamata residents from another tragedy from happening.
Today, the Minamata Disease problem remains unresolved. Although the toxic sludge no longer poses a threat to the environment and its people today, the decades of suffrage the city went through, including prejudice, insufficient compensation, and dissension, are still alive today.
A brief history of the horror of the Minamata Disease
Why is this disease often described as a horror? Because of the nature of its arrival, silent and irreparable. But perhaps many more would call it an injustice because of how the Minamata Disease resulted from human activity.
Dancing Cat Fever, and the first human case of Minamata Disease
The deadly disease first appeared in the 1950s within the cats in the region. Minamata residents started to notice how the cats were jerking and crying uncontrollably (later known as the Dancing Cat Fever). Furthermore, shellfish were dying, and fishes began floating on the surface of the water.
Before the Minamata citizens could get to the bottom of what the unsettling phenomenon meant, a “strange disease” (coined by the local community) began to appear in the human population. The first case was found in a local child, hospitalized on April 21, 1956, with many more following, displaying cerebral-related problems. The disease was officially recognized a week later, on May 1.
We know today that these are the symptoms of mercury poisoning, the Minamata Disease. It affects the central nervous system through the consumption of fish and shellfish containing methylmercury (a highly toxic compound of mercury). And the source of the mercury in Minamata was from the effluence discharged from the Chisso Minamata factory.
12 years of mercury poisoning in exchange for Chisso’s survival
However, it wouldn’t be until September 1968 that the national government officially recognized the problem and cause of the Minamata Disease, more than 12 years after the first patient’s appearance. It announced, “The methylmercury comes from the effluent discharged from Chisso Minamata factory, where it was formed as a byproduct in the acetaldehyde synthesizing process.”
Of course, people had already begun to suspect earlier how the chemical factory, operated by Chisso Corporation, was the cause. The Chisso Minamata factory, after producing acetaldehyde, dumped the byproducts into the Minamata Bay. Local fishermen’s plead to the factory to stop its toxic effluent into the waters fell on deaf ears. Kumamoto University experts suspected the mercury in the discharge but were refused by Chisso to collect samples to test.
Chisso Corporation continued to reject publicly any claim that their factory had any involvement in the disease, denying all theories. In fact, Chisso invested in counter theories to confuse the public. The government also defended Chisso because of Chisso’s economic importance, delaying action to resolve the tragedy.
Chisso was not in denial, however. It had conducted its own experiments and found the results to be positive. However, it did not release the results and disbanded the team from carrying out further investigations. Chisso Minamata factory even changed the location of its drains in September 1958 towards the north. Chisso Corporation would further exacerbate the problem by spreading the Minamata Disease over a wider area of the Yatsushiro Sea.
Eugene Smith, a photographer, brought the world’s attention to this industrial pollution happening in Minamata city. His work incited fear in Chisso, and was eventually attacked by hostile factory workers from Chisso. The film “Minamata,” set to release worldwide in February 2021, will feature Smith’s story and work in covering the Minamata Disease.
The damage to the environment, human lives and reputation
The 12 years of damage to the environment and human lives result from many factors. The deadly sludge may have been buried, but more than 50 years later, the damages still haunt the city. One might also think that the matter has been resolved, but if asking any victim of the terrible disease, they will remind you that the issue remains.
Prejudice: When “Minamata” becomes a word for fear
Today, the names Nagasaki and Hiroshima may conjure the reminder of the atomic bomb because of its part at the end of the Pacific War. Similarly, the name Fukushima is attached to the nuclear disaster triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. For Minamata, they face a similar fight to dissociate themselves from the Minamata Disease.
It will soon be 31 years since completing the Minamata Bay Pollution Prevention Project, which included dredging and landfilling. But a prejudice continues today, both within and out of the city. A stigma continues to haunt Minamata City since its name is evidently in the Minamata Disease.
The fishery scene that once bustled here is no longer around. Even restaurants specially mention that their seafood comes from other regions. Minamata City was well known for its tangerines but faced difficulty selling because of the Minamata brand.
Food is not the only aspect affected by Minamata’s history. Victims face the stigma from both within and out of the city. Within, victims of the disease were shunned, facing discrimination from other citizens. Fear of the unknown and lack of understanding of the disease brings prejudice in daily life and employment. There have been reports of patients rejected from receiving medical services outside of the city, being told by doctors to “go back to Minamata and go to a local hospital.”
Compensation for victims of Minamata Disease
Compensation continues today as applications to be certified as a sufferer continues through the Minamata Disease Patient Certification System. There were numerous lawsuits and negotiations to ensure that fair compensation and financial aid were given to the sufferers, including those who were unable to come forward.
Yet, the avoidance in Chisso’s recognizing victims in condolences is a problem that continues to grip Minamata’s soul. Chisso Corporation and governments have attempted to announce the problem resolved four times.
There appears to be only one true resolution. It will remain an injustice until the involved perpetrators admit and accept responsibilities, until all the victims are given a proper apology, and until every victim has been certified.
The elephant in the Japanese room: Fukushima. RE-revaluating our link to the environment
Sixty years on, and has Japan learned how to treat the environment better, knowing how we lean on and coexist with it? The rise of climate leaders and the explosion of youth organizations like Fridays for Future suggests otherwise.
“Wealth-first” problem: Development progress vs protecting nature and humans
Till recently, it seemed that development and environment are a dichotomy. Sacrificing nature for the sake of development is a common plot that we have heard once too often, even in Japan. One might argue that this was the case in Minamata City too.
Chisso Corporation played a big part in Minamata’s flourishing. In 1908, Chisso built its chemical factory in Minamata, which was facing a decline. It brought Minamata City economic strength, as Chisso became an essential producer for other regions, including Tokyo. Yet, pollution was already a problem in the 1910s and 1920s. Even when Minamata Disease started to rear its head, the government and Chisso immorally prioritized economics over human lives.
There hasn’t been a proper model to achieve both development and environmental protection effectively. Probably not until the introduction of a circular economy system.
Why mercury is a problem worse than we thought
One might think, “The Minamata Disease is a distant matter that has nothing to do with me.” Unfortunately, that is not the case. The tragedy has brought to light the industrial pollution happening around the world. Furthermore, everyone who consumes seafood is already exposed to some amount of mercury. We are also part of the problem because we are consumers of mercury, both directly and indirectly.
According to the U.N. Environment Programme’s 2018 Global Mercury Assessment Technical Background Report, human activity emitted 2220 tonnes of mercury into the atmosphere in 2015. That is a more than 15% increase from the year 2010. Sources include fossil fuel combustion (24%), cement and metal production (20.8%), artisanal and small-scale gold mining (38%), and disposal of waste products containing mercury (7.3%).
This is why mercury pollution is sometimes considered a development issue. Through the pursuit of progress, we developed a linear economy that takes resources from nature and pollutes it with wastes, greenhouse gases, and now, mercury. With better development, gold mining in unsafe conditions using mercury will decrease, thus improving the lives of many in Africa, Indonesia, China and other gold-mining towns worldwide.
Fukushima and the dumping of radioactive water into the ocean
At this point, we need to address a dire problem drawing close to a deadline: Fukushima.
A time limit is drawing near. Ever since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant meltdown in 2011’s Great East Japan Earthquake, 160-170 tons of water is used daily to cool the nuclear fuel in the reactor. The used water is treated and stored on-site, and they are running out of space to store more water. However, the water is contaminated, containing a high concentration of radioactive substances. While controversial, the dumping of the contaminated water has been on the government’s advisory table for the past decade.
What is the effect of the radiation on ocean and human life? It is hard to determine since it’s difficult to measure and prove, but nevertheless conjures unease. Greenpeace has even questioned how the government and TEPCO are downplaying the treatment of the water. In addition, according to a 2014 study in northern England, the nuclear processing plant there has outputted the same amount of radioactivity as the Fukushima incident. And cancer rates were high in the region. An impact is certain, but what kind of magnitude?
Current Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga seems to be preparing a move to prove that the water is drinkable. Such moves have been attempted before: Chisso’s president in 1959 by drinking filtered water, and indeed by then Tokyo Governor Ishihara Shintaro in 2011, who drank a glass of Fukushima’s water. But one cup of water does not weigh the same as future generations’ blood to come.
Minamata Memorial as a warning
Just a few steps away from the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum is the Minamata Memorial. It watches over the Minamata Bay, serving as a requiem for the lives lost to the disease.
The designer of the Minamata Memorial, Giuseppe Barone, writes, “… we can have a twofold sensation that they are rolling down toward the sea – a symbol of the pollution that happened in the fifties – or vice versa that they are the victims’ souls gathering in silent warning.”
And that is the very warning Japan needs to hold in its heart. Minamata City wants the world to understand that it is not just about mercury. It also about the way human activities are affecting society and the environment. These considerations must be included in our decisions, above “the percentage levels are within acceptable levels to dump into the sea.”
Acting on lessons from the past
But not all is shrouded in shadow over Minamata City. The anger over the injustice gave rise to citizen activism. Laws against pollution were ushered in. With the heightened sense of importance for the environment, Minamata City is reinventing itself to contribute to nature and protect their children’s future.
Eco-park Minamata and the goal of a model environmental city
On the reclaimed landfill lies the new Eco-park Minamata, covering an area of 41.8 hectares. The park is divided into four zones and has something for all ages, including a water playground and a bamboo garden to the east. The areas to the west offer a soccer field, a baseball field, tennis courts and multiple-purpose courts.
Eco-park Minamata is just one piece of Minamata City’s goal to develop the city as an environmental model. Minamata households separate their garbage into 22 different categories. The city aims to form a zero waste society, even creating model districts to promote symbiosis between citizens and nature. Since 1996, when the government approved the plans for an “industrial-cultural” city, there have been multiple initiatives to become a model environmental city.
Minamata Convention on Mercury
The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a treaty signed by more than 100 countries in 2013. It exists to protect humans and nature from the risks of mercury, be it from industrial processing or trade on mercury-containing products.
As we have mentioned earlier, mercury comes from several sources. Mercury is widely used in mining and industrial processes, which accounted for 55% of global mercury usage in 2005. That is equivalent to 2090 tons of mercury. Mercury is also used in non-industrial aspects, such as batteries, dental applications, thermometers and electronic devices.
With demand comes supply. Unfortunately, human activities have increased the mercury concentration in the air by 450% above natural levels. We are also witnessing more mercury pollution with that increase. 38% of total mercury emissions come from artisanal and small-scale gold mining. Mercury is a cheap method to mine gold, but poses danger to miners and the environment. The Minamata Convention exists to address such problems.
“We have something to ask of all our young visitors. We in Minamata believe in you.”
Though controversies persist and its victims remain resolute, Minamata Disease’s victims are magnanimous in spirit. They see it as their personal mission to tell their stories so that the rest of humanity can learn the lessons. In this, the last words shall be theirs. And from them, this message, which is also displayed in the museum, for the world:
“Minamata Disease was caused by a series of catastrophic mistakes made by a company, the governments and humans, who placed economic growth above people’s lives and the environment.
“Minamata Disease has presented us with many challenges, which have made us painfully aware of the repercussion of environmental pollution and have taught us the values of human lives and human rights. We are now striving to utilize what we experienced and learned from Minamata Disease to help our city in a correct direction for the future.
“We believe it is our serious responsibility to keep conveying our experiences to people in Japan and around the world. By doing so, we can make sure that future generations will never again have to suffer from the kind of pollution that caused this tragedy, and can share these lessons with the whole of humankind.
“Last but certainly not least, we have something to ask of all our young visitors, who will represent the future of this world. Please do not forget what you have learned here at the museum today, not even when you grow up and become a fully-fledged member of society. The future is in your hands, so please, shape the world to be filled with happiness and the beautiful environment.
“We in Minamata believe in you.”
