First Person: Telling the tragic story of mercury poisoning in Japan

As a storyteller astatine the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum, Mr. Ogata helps to support live the representation of what is considered to beryllium 1 of the astir superior Japanese contamination incidents of the Twentieth Century.

The incidental was caused by the merchandise of toxic chemicals from an concern plant, which accumulated successful shellfish and fish, and were past eaten by the section population.

More than 2,000 radical person been recognized arsenic victims, galore of whom, including Mr. Ogata, had to combat for designation and compensation: astir 20 members of his household were affected by the disease, which causes musculus weakness, nonaccomplishment of peripheral vision, and proceeding and code impairment.

Minimata Disease Municipal Museum

Masima Ogata, a storyteller astatine the Minimata Disease Municipal Museum successful Japan, who lives with the disease.

“Minamata illness archetypal caused harm to my household successful September 1957. When I was astir 2 years old, my gramps Fukumatsu Ogata abruptly developed an unexplained illness, which worsened time by day, with convulsions and drooling, trouble walking, code problems, and different symptoms.

Two months later, helium passed distant successful the isolation and infectious diseases ward astatine the Minamata City Hospital. That was the archetypal calamity caused by Minamata illness successful the Ogata family. However, we were ne'er told what caused the illness. My sister Hitomi, who was calved a week earlier her gramps developed the illness, was calved with a disability, again without explanation, past different members of the Ogata household started falling sick 1 aft another.

When I became an adult, I noticed that I had precise small sensation successful my limbs. I enactment arsenic a joiner and, erstwhile I was younger, would often chopped my digit connected the whetstone erstwhile sharpening knives, due to the fact that my digit would droop.

We came to recognize that it was caused by methyl mercury poisoning but we couldn’t truly marque it nationalist that we were victims, due to the fact that radical thought that Minamata illness was contagious.

Rumours dispersed though, and radical would accidental that nary 1 should wed a subordinate of the Ogata family. I got joined astatine the property of 20, but connected the time of our engagement, my woman had a telephone call. Naming me, the idiosyncratic said to her, “the antheral you are trying to wed is simply a Minamata illness victim. The full household volition beryllium annihilated. Are you good to spell to specified a spot arsenic a bride?”

When I was younger, I hid my illness from others. I would alteration the taxable if it came up, and accidental that it had thing to bash with me. It was my girl who said to maine that I had to unrecorded honestly. Her words stuck successful my chest, and I chose to halt hiding, astatine the property of 38.

For 10 years, my exertion to beryllium officially declared a Minamata illness unfortunate was rejected until, connected March 15, 2007, the Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture declared that she would admit maine arsenic a Minamata illness patient.

After receiving the certification, I asked myself however I would unrecorded successful the future, past I decided to go a storyteller, truthful that I could archer radical each implicit the satellite astir the disease.

Minamata, which has suffered truthful much, has adopted the UN Convention named aft the city, which volition prevention the lives of galore radical astir the world. The radical of Minamata suffered a batch from the illness and were torn apart, but from that we gained a fantastic power, successful the signifier of the Minamata Convention.

Minamata illness is by nary means implicit but, by showing radical astir the satellite what victims tin bash and achieve,  I deliberation the satellite tin instrumentality courage."

Minimata Disease Municipal Museum

Masima Ogata, a storyteller astatine the Minimata Disease Municipal Museum successful Japan, who lives with the disease.