Tag: Minimata Disease

05/03/2006 In 1956, a government economic white paper proclaimed the nation had finally emerged from the chaos of the aftermath of World War II. That year, the government also officially recognized the outbreak of what was later known as Minamata disease. Twenty-two prime ministers, including Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, have been elected since then. But…

By HIROKO NAKATA, JAPAN TIMES Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday issued the first formal apology by a prime minister for the state’s failure to deal properly with Minamata disease, one of the worst pollution-caused maladies and one that erupted during the nation’s speedy economic growth of the 1950s. “The government feels a deep responsibility…

JAPAN TIMES MINAMATA, Kumamoto Pref. — Japan marked on Monday the 50th anniversary of the recognition of Minamata disease, a malady caused by pollution that officials were slow to confront and whose sufferers include thousands still seeking recognition and compensation. A mother and her children pray in front of a small Buddha for the victims…

TARO NISHIJIMA, YOMIURI SHIMBUN STAFF WRITER, May 1, 2006 Miyako Kawamoto talks about her late husband in front of what used to be Chisso headquarters in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday. As 500 people marched through central Tokyo on Saturday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the official recognition of Minamata mercury poisoning as a…

BBC NEWS Minamata disease patients and relatives march in Tokyo. Hundreds marched on Saturday to press for more help for sufferers Events are taking place in Japan in memory of victims of a condition caused by mercury poisoning, 50 years after it was first officially reported. A memorial was unveiled in the southern town of…

NEW CHINA TIMES Japanese lawmakers called on the government Tuesday to provide compensation to thousands of unrecognized victims of Minamata disease, a debilitating disorder caused by eating fish tainted with mercury, ahead of the 50th anniversary of the official diagnosis of the illness. After victims endured decades of social stigmatization, corporate bullying and legal battles,…

Thousands of Minamata disease victims will be commemorated at a newly installed memorial in a bayside park in the city of Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, Sunday on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the official recognition of the disease. Some 300 participants, including children, will pay their respect through traditional dancing and drumming in front…

(UPI Top Stories Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologized in a statement Friday for the government’s failure to prevent the spread of environmental pollution. Koizumi’s remarks were made Monday before the 50th anniversary of the recognition of what is known as Minamata disease. It’s named after the area in Kumamoto Prefecture in…

New America Media, Commentary, Christopher Reed, Apr 26, 2006 Photo, Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath by W. Eugene Smith, Minamata, 1972, courtesy of Masters of Photography On May 1, Japan will take long-overdue steps to more fully recognize a neurological disease caused by industrial pollution in Minamata Bay. TOKYO–Like a war widow, 74-year-old Sumiko Kaneko…