Looking Back Over 30 Years
Ui Jun
From Stockholm, through Rio, to Johannesburg: looking back, there are things that make me wonder if it has really been thirty years, and I am amazed at the speed with which time passes. The location of the summit has changed from an industrial, developed country of the north to countries that are leaders in dealing with north-south problems. The summit is now being held in a country which once had the worldfs most severe ethnic discrimination. Environmental problems persist and spread, and have now become global problems. Everywhere, it is the weak on whom the damage is focused, and we have seen that the situation will not improve at all unless these weak people stand up.
The shock given to the entire United Nations conference in Stockholm by the Minamata disease patients was a great one. Among the reports in the mass media, including those about governmental delegations, there was clearly more news about Japan than any other country. The United States, which sent the former child star Shirley Temple in an attempt to gain media attention, was completely overshadowed. For the first time the world was shown what was happening in the background of the remarkable high-speed economic growth, and the most important messages of this conference were the cry of Hamamoto Tsuginori that this suffering should not be repeated, and the figure of Sakamoto Shinobu silently showing herself to the mass media. Tsuginori later put his handicapped body in a wheelchair and visited Canada, Kenya, and India. Even without saying anything, his will could be understood. If preventive measures were taken before problems became visible, there is no way to tell how far things would have spread. When I was attending an international conference in India, the news of the gas leak at Bhopal was conveyed to the conference. At that instant one Indian stood up and shouted, gHiroshima, Nagasaki, Minamata, Bhopal?Why are such irrational things repeated in Asia?h Hamamoto hurried there from Minamata, and encouraged those who suffered this disaster. As one of a number of people involved in these movements, I feel some small pride in my heart for our success, but I also sometimes sadly wonder if we might have been able to make greater efforts.
But in Japan itself, efforts to assist patients remained stalemated, and they remained ill as they aged. The long, unbroken rule of the corporate-controlled Liberal Democratic Party finally came to an end, but politics were confused, and after the bubble burst Japanfs economy began to founder. It was in this period that a political settlement to Minamata disease was put together. It was a time when the people of the entire nation were struggling just to get by, and the settlement was pushed forward under the direction of bureaucrats. Writings by bureaucrats at that time, as well as the comments of Prime Minister Murayama, who had been said at times to push for a more enlightened policy, became the basis for the political appeal in the Kansai lawsuit.
Of course it is possible to change policies. At the time of Stockholm, the governmentfs report included only a single line about Minamata disease, but through the drafting of an opposing report by our Open Seminar (Jishu Koza), we forced them to drastically revise it. We have learned that Japanfs policies could also be changed from the outside. At Rio, because its government delegation was composed of the same old faces, and only Japan sent a delegation without representatives of NGOs, and because the prime minister did not participate in this environmental summit, Japan became a laughingstock. For Johannesburg, I have heard that many NGOs are enthusiastically preparing. The Okinawa Environmental Network will also be sending two people to raise the issue of military bases. The preparation is difficult, but we have learned the necessity of going through complicated procedures in order to be heard in a global forum. It is necessary to prepare by looking ten years ahead. Certainly, the name of Minamata disease is now well known. This is also a result of 30 years of victimsf movements. From now on, NGOs must make clear how we can avoid such things, what we must do, and what we must not do. There are still many things we must learn for this purpose.
As one who participated in the Stockholm meeting, I very much wish to go to Johannesburg, but my preparation and physical strength are not sufficient. But knowing that many young people are going, I feel that some of the weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I have high hopes for your work.
(Translated by Timothy S. George)
Jun UI
Born in Tokyo in 1989, Jim UI graduated from University ofTokyo, Applied Chemistry Faculty in l956. He joined Nippon Zeon Co. Ltd. After working there for three yeas, he came back to the university, studying the fluid property of plastic fusion as a post-graduate student at Applied Chemistry Major, Engineering Department.
In 1959, knowing of the theory of mercury culprit for Minamata Disease, he began his own research.
In 1970, he was awarded Finland Nature Conservation Prize for his publicizing the mercury issue. The same year he became a member of the faculty at University of Tokyo. He started a voluntary seminar "Principles of Environmental Pollution" where he disseminated directly to citizens the result of pollution study and research.
Since then he has been involved in organizing pollution-study movement for citizens, encouraging them to be more sensitive to envimnnenta1 science study. He has organized nation-wide service and information network for anti-pollution movement, by supporting citizens' activities such as pollution monitoring, victim relieving, prevention of gpollution export", etc. In 1986, he joined University of Okinawa as a professor.
He is the author of numerous works about environmental pollution.
gPolitics of Environmental Pollution?Pursuit of Minamata Diseaseh, g The Archipelago of Environmental Pollution in 1970sh, gThe Principles of Politics of Environmental Pollution1-3h, Will Japanfs Water Revive?h, etc.
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