Over 60 Years Later, Japan’s Mercury Poisoning Victims Continue Their Fight for Recognition

By Minami Funakoshi and Kyung Hoon Kim

MINAMATA, Japan – At just 15 years old, Shinobu Sakamoto left her home in the southern Japanese fishing village of Minamata to share the devastating impact of mercury poisoning with the world. Now, 45 years later, she is once again traveling, this time to Geneva to participate in a gathering of signatories to the first global agreement aimed at reducing mercury pollution.

Sakamoto is among a dwindling group of survivors from a catastrophic industrial incident during the 1950s, which poisoned tens of thousands after wastewater from a chemical plant contaminated Minamata Bay. The wastewater included methylmercury, a toxic organic compound that can severely damage the brain and nervous system, leading to Minamata disease—a condition that has now become synonymous with the U.N.-backed treaty that came into force last month.

As time passes, symptoms of the disease can worsen, prompting some victims to wonder who will care for them after the death of family members, while others are embroiled in legal battles. "If I don’t say something, no one will know about Minamata disease," Sakamoto, one of the few still able to speak who was born with the disease, stated. "There are still so many problems, and I want people to know."

A Dwindling Population of Survivors

According to data from Japan’s environment ministry, only 528 individuals remain alive out of roughly 3,000 certified victims of Minamata disease. More than 20,000 have sought recognition as victims, hoping to receive legal compensation for their suffering. "We need to take seriously the fact that there are still many people raising their hands," remarked ministry official Koji Sasaki, emphasizing the ongoing efforts of victims seeking acknowledgment.

Jitsuko Tanaka, 64, grew up in a shipbuilding family whose home overlooked Minamata Bay. As a child, she would play on the beach with her sister, unknowingly consuming contaminated shellfish. The effects became evident when Tanaka and her sister, only three and five years old at the time, began losing the use of their hands and struggling to walk- the first of many identified cases of the disease. While Tanaka survived, her older sister passed away at eight, and the poisoning has left Tanaka too frail to walk without support—an inability that her family recently reported has worsened.

Concerned for his sister-in-law’s future, Yoshio Shimoda, 69, another disease sufferer, expressed his worries about the care needs of patients once their family members are gone. "After I die, who will take care of her?" he pondered.

The Ongoing Struggles of Survivors

Sixty-one years after Minamata disease was first identified in 1956, the fight against its challenges continues, with improvements seen by only a few. Before methylmercury was officially recognized as the cause in 1968, many victims faced discrimination, falsely believing the disease was contagious, leading to hesitation in seeking legal recognition. To this day, individuals continue to submit decades-old umbilical cords for testing, hoping to find evidence supporting their claims for victim designation, according to Hirokatsu Akagi, director of Minamata’s International Mercury Laboratory.

Sakamoto, who was poisoned while still in the womb, views it as her responsibility to highlight the ongoing dangers of mercury. "Minamata disease isn’t over; it’s not a thing of the past," she asserted.