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The Mainichi
25-06-2025
- Health
- The Mainichi
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.
Asahi Shimbun
26-05-2025
- Health
- Asahi Shimbun
Apology issued over false lesson on Minamata disease ‘gene'
Trygroup Inc. has removed this false information about Minamata disease. (Captured from Trygroup Inc.'s online education material) After repeated government requests, a home tutoring company apologized for wrongly teaching children that Minamata disease, a neurological disorder caused by mercury poisoning, is hereditary. Trygroup Inc., known for its 'Katei Kyoushi no Try' education service, issued the apology on its website and removed the false information that was presented during an online lecture for junior high school students. 'Minamata-byou Higaisha, Shiensha Renraku Kai,' a group of Minamata disease patients and their supporters, learned about erroneous lecture at the end of April. The group, saying such false information promotes discrimination against Minamata disease victims, asked the Environment Ministry to take action. The group also sent a request to Trygroup to correct its educational materials. According to the group, Trygroup's video lecture was for a junior high school history class as part of its 'Try I' service. The topics in the lecture were the four major pollution-caused illnesses in Japan. 'The most horrible aspect of this (Minamata) disease is its hereditary nature,' the lecture said. 'Pregnant women who developed the disease often passed it on to their babies.' Minamata disease was discovered in the 1950s among residents who consumed marine products tainted with organic mercury discharged from a chemical factory into Minamata Bay, Kumamoto Prefecture. Babies born with the disease were affected by the mercury while in the wombs of their mothers. The disease is not passed down through genes. However, incorrect beliefs about the disease have spread, leading to discrimination against victims of the poisoning and their relatives. Some have been rejected for marriage based only on where they were born. 'There are still patients who suffer from misconceptions and discrimination,' said Ichiro Motoshima, an official of the patients and supporters group. 'The central government should thoroughly educate people to understand the facts.' The Environment Ministry said it sent a request for a correction to Trygroup on May 14, and the company partly corrected the lecture. But the ministry deemed that measure was insufficient and had continued contacting Trygroup until it issued the apology for its false lecture. 'There is no fact that Minamata disease is hereditary. We apologize for the incorrect expression and have corrected that part,' the company said on its website on May 23. The ministry intends to continue seeking an explanation from the company. Similar false information was also spread earlier this year by the city government of Uki in Kumamoto Prefecture A calendar that the municipality distributed to all 23,000 households in Uki at the end of February contained a description that could be interpreted as: 'Minamata and Hansen's diseases are infectious.' The city has since circulated a correction seal for the description to all households and apologized. Minamata disease is not infectious. But in the initial period after its discovery, the cause of the disease was unknown, leading to the mistaken belief that it could be spread from human to human. Hansen's disease, more commonly known as leprosy, has an extremely low level of contagiousness. Currently, it is very rare for a person to become infected with and develop Hansen's disease.
Kyodo News
25-05-2025
- Health
- Kyodo News
Major Japan tutoring firm sorry for false claim on Minamata disease
KYODO NEWS - 10 hours ago - 12:56 | All, Japan A major Japanese tutoring company has recently apologized for inaccurately describing the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease as hereditary in its online study material, a description that drew strong public criticism. The false claim appeared in a video lesson for junior high school students from the firm's "Try IT" online service, which explained cases of infants developing the disease via mercury exposure through the placenta but wrongly called the condition "inherited." Trygroup Inc., the operator of the nationwide home tutoring service Try, said in a statement available on its website Sunday, "We apologize for the inaccurate phrasing and have corrected it," adding the lesson video has already been taken offline. Following the revelation of the misinformation, a group comprising patients and victims of Minamata disease, as well as the Environment Ministry, urged the company to make corrections. Minamata disease is a neurological disorder caused by mercury poisoning. It affected thousands of people who unknowingly consumed seafood contaminated with mercury in areas around Minamata Bay in Kumamoto Prefecture on the southwestern main island of Kyushu. In 1968, the Japanese government recognized that mercury in wastewater from a local chemical plant was responsible for the illness. Related coverage: FEATURE: Minamata disease photo collection strikes chords of tragedy Japan minister apologizes for interrupting Minamata victims' remarks Japan court orders compensation to 26 unrecognized Minamata victims
Kyodo News
25-05-2025
- Health
- Kyodo News
Major Japan tutoring firm sorry for false claim on Minamata disease
KYODO NEWS - 5 minutes ago - 12:56 | All, Japan A major Japanese tutoring company has recently apologized for inaccurately describing the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease as hereditary in its online study material, a description that drew strong public criticism. The false claim appeared in a video lesson for junior high school students from the firm's "Try IT" online service, which explained cases of infants developing the disease via mercury exposure through the placenta but wrongly called the condition "inherited." Trygroup Inc., the operator of the nationwide home tutoring service Try, said in a statement available on its website Sunday, "We apologize for the inaccurate phrasing and have corrected it," adding the lesson video has already been taken offline. Following the revelation of the misinformation, a group comprising patients and victims of Minamata disease, as well as the Environment Ministry, urged the company to make corrections. Minamata disease is a neurological disorder caused by mercury poisoning. It affected thousands of people who unknowingly consumed seafood contaminated with mercury in areas around Minamata Bay in Kumamoto Prefecture on the southwestern main island of Kyushu. In 1968, the Japanese government recognized that mercury in wastewater from a local chemical plant was responsible for the illness. Related coverage: FEATURE: Minamata disease photo collection strikes chords of tragedy Japan minister apologizes for interrupting Minamata victims' remarks Japan court orders compensation to 26 unrecognized Minamata victims
