May 1st was the 60th anniversary of the official "discovery" of Minamata disease. Each year, there have been two commemorations -- official and unofficial -- on May 1st. The official ceremony is held for certified victims. The need for another unofficial ceremony stems from the failure of the government to recognize the suffering of large numbers of other victims -- people who were poisoned by the disease but are unable to meet the government's stringent certification standards. Today, the unofficial ceremony was held (see attached photo) but the official ceremony was postponed because the governor and other officials could not take time away from dealing with earthquake-related issues.
Actually, there is a potential connection between what happened in Minamata and earthquakes. Tons of mercury-laden sludge have been buried in reclaimed land that now occupies what was once Minamata Bay. For years, it has been pointed out that an earthquake in Minamata could caused large amounts of mercury to be released into the bay once more.
Regardless of whether a quake hits Minamata or not, the Minamata disease issue remains unsettled. Court cases are still pending and patients are still waiting to have the applications for certification adjudicated -- 60 years since the problem was first officially reported.
-- Kirk
http://jp.reuters.com/article/idJP2016050101001442
水俣病は１日、公式確認から６０年を迎えた。熊本県水俣市の山中にある「乙女塚」では、患者らでつくる「水俣病互助会」などが慰霊祭を開き、約５０人が犠牲者を悼んだ。国は問題の最終解決を目指して未認定患者の救済策を２度にわたって実施したが、今も熊本、鹿児島両県に２千人超が患者認定を申請している。補償を求める訴訟も各地で続き、解決の道は遠い。
