Japan tutoring firm apologizes over wrongly stating Minamata disease is 'hereditary'
MINAMATA, Kumamoto -- Executives at a major home tutoring operator on June 25 apologized to Kumamoto Mayor Toshiharu Takaoka for an error in online teaching material that incorrectly described Minamata disease as "hereditary."
Daigo Kusunose, executive officer at the Tokyo-based Trygroup Inc., and its Kyushu regional headquarters chief Motohiro Ito, visited Minamata city hall. Kusunose stated, "We deeply apologize for the great inconvenience and concern caused to everyone in Minamata and all those affected by Minamata disease due to the teaching material we created."
Mayor Takaoka responded, "We believed we were disseminating correct information, so honestly, I am disappointed," adding, "How Trygroup responds from now on is important for both citizens and those who have suffered from the disease."
The error appeared in the "Try IT" video lesson service's social studies material for junior high school students. It described cases in which methylmercury consumed by pregnant mothers was passed through the placenta to the fetus, resulting in the children developing Minamata disease, but it incorrectly used the term "hereditary." The material was released via an app in 2015 and has been available on YouTube since 2016. Until it was taken down in May of this year, it had been viewed more than 70,000 times.
On the afternoon of June 25, the company executives were also to meet with the "Minamata disease victims and supporters liaison council," made up of Minamata disease patients and victim groups, as well as the "Minamata discrimination and prejudice study group," formed in response to issues such as incorrect descriptions.
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