Minamata’s Fight for Justice: How Japan’s Failed Debate and Response Sparked Local and Global Change
Overview
As Chisso’s responsibility became clear, management of the disease shifted to the prefectural and national governments. However, their response was slow and ineffective, muddled by debate over its cause and Chisso's industrial importance. From the 1950s-1980s, citizens fought for regulations on Chisso and justice for victims and fishermen. This diplomatic citizen action was key to resolution.
1956-1959
Despite the university’s findings, Kumamoto Prefecture failed to ban commercial fishing under the Food Sanitation Act because there was “no clear evidence” that all local fish were contaminated (Minamata Disease Municipal Museum). Instead, they asked the MFCA to self-impose restrictions.
“Looking back, it seems to me that our most regrettable error was to neglect the patients, the fishermen in general, for such a long time. This was partly because we didn’t know the cause of the Disease, but even so, given the fact that the first case of Minamata Disease was discovered in 1953, we could have done something to stop its progress even before Dr. Hosokawa’s report…I remember the rumors about the strange disease in Tsukinoura. There were as many as 43 patients in 1956. I told my colleagues, ‘This is a serious matter. We must discuss it at the Assembly, and start an investigation as soon as possible.’ However, the other Assemblymen didn’t seem to take the incident that seriously."
~Hirota Sunao, Minamata City Assemblyman, Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow: Our Minamata Disease
"At the time, Japan was still trying to recover from its state of severe poverty following the second World War, and economic growth was prioritized over all else.
Minamata was economically dominated by the Chisso Corporation, and many citizens were reliant on Chisso to sustain their lifestyles. As a result of this, there was strong opposition against the idea of stopping the pollution (the suspected cause of Minamata disease) from the factory."
~Minamata Disease Municipal Museum
The MFCA requested that Chisso install “adequate waste water treatment facilities” in early 1957. After continued inaction, local fishermen and retailers boycotted Chisso. While Kumamoto Prefecture called for an assembly to resolve the matter, Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry stated that "the problem of industrial waste had been resolved" (Minamata Disease Municipal Museum). On November 2, 1959, the Kumamoto Prefectural Alliance of Fishing Cooperatives rioted the Chisso factory.
Fishermen in Minamata Bay, circa 1972, Blind Magazine
Kumamoto Prefectural Alliance of Fishing Cooperatives rioting the Chisso factory, 1959, Minamata: Pollution and the Struggle for Democracy in Postwar Japan
“Two days ago, two thousand fishermen from the Shiranui Sea area came to Minamata to submit a petition to the House of Representatives’ Minamata Disease Investigation Committee. They broke into the premises of the Chisso factory, where they clashed with a police force of three hundred men. Both fishermen and policemen sustained injuries. The issue at stake was the relationship between fishermen and Chisso. One wonders whether this bloody incident could not have been avoided."
~Kumamoto Nichinichi Newspaper, 1959, Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow: Our Minamata Disease
“The riot section of the Prefectural Police has announced that the fishermen will be arrested for violence, trespassing, destruction of property and for obstructing the police in carrying out their duties.”
~Asahi Shimbun, 1959, Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow: Our Minamata Disease
Meanwhile, victims formed the Mutual Aid Society in 1957. In late 1959, they, too, demanded compensation, staging sit-ins outside the factory gates and the Prefectural Office. Chisso contended that no link existed between the factory and contamination.
"It has been six years since Minamata disease began. Over 30 people have already died. This is a terrible disease. The Shin Nichitsu factory will not compensate the patients, who are the direct victims. We ask that you try to save the victims with your impartial public opinion."
~Mutual Aid Society flyers, 1959, Minamata: Pollution and the Struggle for Democracy in Postwar Japan
Mutual Aid Society, Minamata: Pollution and the Struggle for Democracy in Postwar Japan
Ultimately, Chisso agreed to compensate the fishing industry and victims. One clause, however, blocked further compensation even if the factory was legally found responsible.
Compensation Agreement: “Even if in the future it is determined that the cause of Minamata disease is the factory’s wastewater, [the patients] will make absolutely no further demands for compensation money.”
After negotiations with the Mutual Aid Society: “If in the future there are significant changes in prices, the amount of the yearly payments may be adjusted on the basis of joint discussions requested by either [the company or the patients].”
~Chisso's compensation agreements, 1959, Minamata: Pollution and the Struggle for Democracy in Postwar Japan
