“The worst example of mercury poisoning came in Minamata, Japan, where Chisso Corporation’s chemical factory discharged industrial wastewater which contained methylmercury into the nearby bay between 1932 and 1968. As of March 2001, 2,265 victims had been officially recognised as having Minamata disease, 1,784 of whom had died.”
The Japanese text below indicates that 32,244 people were approved (many more applied) in the second political settlement that concluded a couple of years ago. I’m adding this to point out that the “officially certified” patients (the numbers in the quote above) are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the devastation caused by Chisso’s dumping of mercury-laiden waste into the waters around Minamata. 水俣病特別措置法に基づく被害者救済策で、環境省は29日、熊本、鹿児島、新潟３県で計３万2244人が一時金210万円の支給対象となったと発表した。 http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLASDG2903K_Z20C14A8CC1000/
