Minamata Disease Municipal Museum

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Learning Minamata disease with children
-Grasping the point of Minamata disease

The main events from the beginning of Minamata disease to today are described with illustrations in each chapter. Even a child who learns about Minamata disease for the first time can easily comprehend it. It will help teachers and children learn together and grasp the key points of Minamata disease problems. We believe it is also useful material for research before your visit.

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Brief Chronology of Minamata Disease Incident

Brief Chronology of Minamata Disease Incident

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Minamata Disease －Its History and Lessons－

Minamata Disease -Its History and Lessons- 2022 　[2.81MB]

Contents

History of Minamata
Chapter1 Minamata Disease
Chapter2 The Outbreak and Origins of Minamata Disease
Chapter3 Measures to Control Environmental Pollution
Chapter4 Compensation and Relief of Victims - Health Measures for Residents
Chapter5 Advance of Comprehensive Minamata Disease Research
Chapter6 Financial Support for Chisso Corporation
Chapter7 Measures for Resolution of the Minamata Disease
Chapter8 Citizens' Movements - Responses by Citizens
Chapter9 Minamata, Environmental Regeneration Effort
Chapter10 Passing on the Lessons of Minamata Disease
Reference

Timeline of Minamata Disease History

　Timeline of Minamata Disease History (English version) 1889～2007

TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MINAMATA DISEASE

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MUSEUM LEAFLET

MuseumLeaflet(English)

As of Mar. 2022

District	Application	Decided		undecided
District	Application	certified	Rejected	unexamined
Kumamoto Prefecture (Including Minamata City)	15,330	(1,585) 1,790	13,171	369
Minamata City	5,019	965	4,016	38
Kagoshima Prefecture	5,934	(428) 493	4,358	1,083
Total	21,264	(2,013) 2,283	17,529	1,452

* The numbers do not include judicial certifications.
* ( )Number of Deceased

District	The number of the designated victims at the end of the last month	The number of the designated victims in this month
Kumamoto Prefecture (including Minamata City)	1,790	0
Minamata City	965	0
Kagoshima Prefecture	493	0
Total	2,283	0

■There is no charge to check out videos/DVDs. However, borrowers must pay a shipping charge. (by payment on delivery)
■The period of a loan is one month.
■There are 12 titles of videos/DVDs and you may borrow up to 2 videos/DVDs at a time.
■If you want to check videos/DVDs out, download the “Application form for permission of borrowing videos/DVDs” below and send it by fax or mail to us. If you want to check videos/DVDs out, download the “Application form for permission of borrowing videos/DVDs” below and send it by fax or mail to us.
* An application form by E-mail cannot be accepted.
* We have English-language editions of videos/DVDs.
* We're sorry, but we do not ship internationally.
* It is forbidden to make copies of videos/DVDs.

Download "Application form for permission of borrowing videos/DVDs"

Digest of the following Storyteller's videos
(about 17 minutes）

List of Videos and DVDs

1)" Learning a lesson from Minamata disease -Environmental Model City Planning	History of Minamata disease, which is one of the earliest pollution problems in Japan, is introduced in the first volume. We can learn about the dreadfulness of pollution and the importance of the environment, and also about human rights from the discrimination that victims received. In addition, from the creation of an environmental model city in Minamata, we can learn how to interact with the environment without causing pollution. (40 minutes 30 seconds)
2)"Learning a lesson from Minamata disease (for childeren)	This is a video for kids based on video(1). This will help children to learn about pollution and the environment easier. (33 minutes 30 seconds)
3）"Starting point was my Father’s death" 【Kiyoto Sasaki, Storyteller】	Mr. Sasaki lost his father from acute Minamata disease. He tells us how awful Minamata disease was and about his long time fight for aid for the victims by direct negotiation. (29 minutes 40 seconds)
4）"Requesting aid for victims" 【Saburo Hashiguchi, Storyteller】	Mr. Hashiguchi tells us about the situation of damage in Izumi city, Kagoshima Prefecture, which is adjacent to Minamata City, and about the trials and negotiations which he led against the government for aid for the victims. (29 minutes 35 seconds)
5）"Living with Minamata disease" 【Tsuginori Hamamoto, Storyteller】	Mr. Hamamoto tells us about his life during which he lost his parents from acute Minamata disease and has lived out of a wheelchair himself. He also tells us about the pollution situation of the sea from the beginning of the outbreak of Minamata disease, the trials against Chisso, the causative company, and about the suffering of being treated as an infectious disease patient and discriminated against. (33 minutes 45 seconds)
6）"The loss of husband and child" 【Eiko Ueno, Storyteller】	Mrs. Ueno tells us about her harsh life during which she lost her husband from Minamata disease, which is considered as a strange and infectious disease. She raised her daughter who was a congenital Minamata disease patient while she was looked at with jaundiced eyes and was discriminated against. Also she tells us about her beloved daughter’s death and her own current situation of symptoms. (33 min. 30 sec.)
7）"Miyako Kawamoto tells about her late husband, Teruo Kawamoto and his movements for relief of Minamata disease patients" 【Miyako Kawamoto, Storyteller】	Mrs. Kawamoto’s husband, Mr. Teruo Kawamoto, worked hard to uncover potential patients and negotiate directly with Chisso while he turned the government and Minamata citizens into his enemies. She tells us about her husband, who fought to get assistance for the sufferers of Minamata disease. (28 minutes 10 seconds)
8）"“Consecutive tragedies of Minamata Disease that attacked the family” 【Sumiko kaneko, Storyteller】	Mrs. Kaneko tells us the harsh half century of her life. After she lost her husband and children from Minamata disease, she has been living with her child, who is a congenital Minamata disease patient. (25 minutes 50 seconds)
9）"About the suffering and discrimination caused by Minamata disease." 【Takeshi Sugimoto, Storyteller】	Mr. Sugimoto’s family received severe discrimination when Minamata disease was considered as an infectious disease. When he caught fish with his disabled body, the fish did not sell at all. In spite of such needy circumstances, his family did not give up and he fought against the government, Chisso, and the social circumstances at that time. (29 minutes 40 seconds)
10）"Challenge to change the Discrimination against Minamata Disease and its agony to nosari" Nosari: gifts from heaven, people or elsewhere 【Eiko Sugimoto, Storyteller】	Since Mrs. Sugimoto’s mother developed Minamata disease first within the village, Mrs. Sugimoto experienced discrimination and hardships. However, she endured them and lived strongly. She tells us about her life. Also, she introduces us to activities that help congenital Minamata disease patients participate in society. She started the activities for miscarried fetuses including her own child. (34 minutes 10 seconds)
11）"Born with Congenital Minamata Disease" 【Kenji Nagamoto, Storyteller】	Mr. Nagamoto is a congenital Minamata disease patient and his father worked for Chisso. He tells us about his life and how he has lived looking forward in spite of the disadvantages of the disease since his childhood and the prejudice and discrimination from those around him. The video is interspersed with his mother’s and friends’ comments. (34 minutes)
12）"Living honestly": human rights over Minamata Disease 【Masami Ogata, Storyteller】	Many of Mr. Ogata’s relatives are Minamata disease patients. He gives us a message, “Minamata disease broke out because people did not live honestly. We have to live with honesty so that we can help weak or helpless people.” (20 minutes 52 seconds) *This video won a merit award from the Minister of Justice for the Human Rights Enlightenment Material 2009 FY.