Minamata

October 8, 2007
On the last day of the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Geography Association (Nihon chiri gakkai), there was a fieldtrip to Minamata. The first thing on the agenda was a visit with a man who he spoke of the impacts of the mercury poisoning from the Chisso plant in the 1950s on both his family, which had to stop fishing for a living, and the larger community, which was afflicted with deaths, birth defects, and community disintegration. This was especially evident following the legal settlements with the company, which caused huge wealth differentials among households. Such immediate and seemingly random affluence tore the community apart, in his mind.

Later in the day we enjoyed lunch at a village that has turned to ecotourism, serving meals and giving short tours to visitors. All of the food is locally grown or collected, and it is all chemical-free. The town itself is undergoing depopulation and an aging of the population, but it is hoped that this latest effort will curb some of these problems.

At the end of the day we also visited the Minamata disease memorial museum, which features striking photos and stories of the people affected by the disease. It seems remarkable that the Chisso factory continues to operate in this town, and that it has not changed its name following what is one of the worst industrial accidents in Japan's history. The company still makes chemicals and still employs a large number of local residents.