The Minamata Disease Incident Is a Warning to Humanity
Hirotsu Toshio
The Minamata disease incident is not a tragedy caused only by a single private company seeking its own profit.
Chisso was not simply an evil corporation; it was an advanced company at the leading edge of Japanfs modernization and the bringing of economic prosperity to its people. Chisso began as a hydroelectric power company, ensuring energy supplies for the state, and then developed into a manufacturer of chemical fertilizers, helping to increase the peoplefs food supply. The organic mercury that caused Minamata disease was created in the process of producing acetaldehyde, and acetaldehyde was essential to the manufacturing of plastics. Plastics were used in televisions, cars, and throughout daily life, and brought prosperity to all of Japan. Chisso was a corporation that contributed a great deal to the state and the people.
For failing to stop the spread of Minamata disease, the state also bears a great deal of responsibility. The state gave priority to the desire for prosperity of the people of the entire nation over the health and lives of the residents of one region. From the point of view of the victims of Minamata disease, this choice by the state was clearly wrong. But what did the people of the nation, who enjoyed prosperity as a result of the policy of the state, think of this?
The town of Minamata grew and prospered because of Chisso. Most of the citizens of Minamata detested Minamata disease and its patients. This was because it threatened not only Chisso, but the citizensf own livelihood. The citizens of Minamata were wary of the Minamata disease patients; their very existence was frightening. The citizens of Minamata were only trying to protect their own livelihood, but can this be justified?
Hoping for prosperity, attempting to defend onefs own livelihood: things that seemed completely reasonable gave birth to Minamata disease and caused it to spread.
The Minamata disease incident truly shows how foolish it is to attempt to protect the prosperity and livelihood of only onefs self, or region, or nation.
The environment is now polluted on a global scale, and if we continue in this way not only humanity, but all life on the earth, may perish. If humanity is to survive, we must begin to fundamentally question things we consider completely reasonable.
The Minamata disease incident is a warning to humanity.
(Translated by Timothy S. George)
HIROTSU Toshio
Toshio HIROTU was born in 1951 in Osaka. He graduated from Ehime University, physics department in 1975. In 1985, he moved to Minamata city. He joined Soshisha in 1986 and became the person in charge of Minamata patients the following year. In 1988 he participated in 204-day-long sit-in at Chisso Corporation. He acted liaison between Environment Agency and patients during negotiations on the governmental solution in 1995. He held the additional post at the reference material and data section in 1998. He promoted to a member of Soshisha Board of Directors in 2000.
Hirotsu is a co-author of gMinamata Disease Considered from Datah and gThe Sea Abundant in Fishh.
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