A moment of neglect has turned into a tragedy spanning decades. In the early 1950s, a mysterious neurological disorder began in a small fishing village in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The disorder spread rapidly, eventually being identified as mercury poisoning, known as Minamata disease. The source of the poisoning was traced back to organic mercury compounds in wastewater discharged from a nearby chemical plant.

Initially, the plant had neglected methylmercury, a byproduct of their manufacturing process, allowing it to flow into the waters off Minamata. The released organic mercury accumulated in seafood through the food chain. Residents of Minamata, who relied on seafood as their main diet, began to exhibit signs of poisoning. At the time, the cause of the illness was unknown and was referred to as "an anomalous phenomenon (a strange illness)," but more and more residents suffered from poisoning symptoms and eventually died.

The symptoms of poisoning were varied, including numbness in the extremities, speech impairment, constricted vision, unstable posture, and hearing loss. In severe cases, death could occur within a few months. Especially for patients exposed during fetal development, they exhibited symptoms similar to cerebral palsy.

It took more than a decade to identify the cause, during which time the plant attempted to conceal it. The authorities and government also overlooked the pollution, as they focused solely on economic growth and business operations. It was only in 1968 that methylmercury poisoning as a cause of neurological disease was officially recognized.

The government and the offending company established compensation measures and prevention plans. However, similar poisoning cases were discovered in the Agonogawa River basin in Niigata Prefecture around the same time, and the tragedy continued to spread. Delays in identifying the cause and developing countermeasures meant that countless residents had to endure suffering.

The Minamata disease problem is still ongoing. The issue of recognizing new patients, lawsuits regarding the government's and company's liability for compensation, etc. continue to this day. This is not simply a pollution issue, but a tragedy stemming from the negligence of companies and the government, which disregarded human life and health. We must learn from this tragedy and be reminded of the dangers of a culture that disregards life and the neglect of corporate responsibility.