Latest news with #NiigataMinamata
01-06-2025
- Health
Ceremony Marks 60 Yrs since Niigata Minamata Disease Recognition
Niigata, June 1 (Jiji Press)--A ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the official recognition of Niigata Minamata disease, a neurological disorder caused by polluted industrial wastewater containing methylmercury, took place in the city of Niigata, the capital of the namesake prefecture in central Japan. At the ceremony, held on Saturday, about 300 people observed a moment of silence for the victims. The participants included patients, bereaved families, Environment Minister Keiichiro Asao and representatives from chemical maker Showa Denko K.K., currently Resonac Holdings Corp., the operator of the plant that was the source of the pollution. It was the first time in 10 years for an environment minister to attend the ceremony. "Niigata Minamata disease is not over yet," Eiichi Minagawa, 81, the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by uncertified patients against the government and the plant operator company, said in an address. Noting that the plaintiffs are aging, Minagawa said, "We sincerely hope that (the lawsuit) will be settled while we are still alive and are able to walk." [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
The Mainichi
29-05-2025
- Health
- The Mainichi
Japan's Niigata governor criticizes incorrect 'hereditary' description of Minamata disease
NIIGATA -- Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi expressed his displeasure over an incorrect description of Minamata disease mercury poisoning in an online teaching material by a major home tutoring operator, which stated, "The terrifying fact about Minamata disease is that it's hereditary." Hanazumi called the account in the material published by Trygroup Inc. "a clear mistake and extremely regrettable" during a regular news conference May 28. Although the company has acknowledged the error and taken down the material, the prefectural government plans to address the issue while working with Kumamoto Prefecture, home to the first reported case of the industrial pollution-derived disease and where patients and victims are located. The teaching material, aimed at junior high school students, described cases in which children developed Minamata disease at birth after being affected through their mother's placenta as "hereditary." On May 14, the Ministry of the Environment pointed out the error to the company, and the material was removed May 22. Hanazumi called the mistake "a case that must not happen" and stated that he would closely monitor the Environment Ministry's response, including reports on how the error occurred and measures to prevent a recurrence. Touching on that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the official recognition of Niigata Minamata disease, the governor added, "It is important to convey the facts, history and lessons of Minamata disease. Renewed efforts are necessary." (Japanese original by Noriaki Kinoshita, Niigata Bureau)
