8 : WHAT HAVE THE PATIENTS BEEN REQUESTING?

More than 40 years have passed since Minamata disease broke out. For Minamata disease patients, these have been 40 years of continuous hardship and strife. What the patients sought through court cases and negotiations with the government and Chisso was a heartfelt and sincere apology and acceptance of responsibility for causing Minamata disease and neglecting the patients. They have also demanded that the truth of the tragedy be made clear, and that quick relief be provided to the patients. What they most strongly appealed for during this period of isolation from the local society was that they be treated as human beings and as citizens of Minamata.

There is no hope for a true cure for Minamata disease. Most patients spend their days going to hospitals for treatment aimed at reducing their pain, and for rehabilitation. And as they age, the number of people who are hospitalized or receive home medical assistance increases. The patients’ desire to be able to live in the community without any worries is also a common concern throughout the region in this rapidly aging society.

Needless to say, those who are physically able do what work they can every day. Although farming and fishing require heavy labor, they can help with rehabilitation. Some patients work for companies. These people have prayed for ways to live with their Minamata disease. However, prejudice and misunderstanding related to Minamata disease still remain, and there are cases in which patients hide their Minamata disease even from their families and relatives. Other patients devote themselves to activities such as talking about their own Minamata disease, in order to pass on the experiences and lessons of Minamata disease to future generations, in the hope that Minamata disease will never be repeated.

The patients of Minamata disease ask us not to forget those who were sacrificed in our search for material prosperity and the destruction of our ties to nature, and to always consider what we should do in the future.

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