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Government or official record

Minamata Disease: The History and Measures, Chapter 2

Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan

Where this source supports the record

Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.

  1. Epidemics & public health · 1 May 1956

    Minamata Disease

    Minamata Bay and Minamata Disease Archives area · Japan

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    Why editors use it here

    Government account of the first report, investigation, exposure pathway, 1968 conclusion, and certification totals.

    1. Quick read

      In May 1956, physicians in Minamata reported patients with a previously unexplained neurological illness.

      Reviewed 5 August 2026
    2. Trigger and conditions

      A hospital connected to the factory reported several patients with severe neurological symptoms to the Minamata public health office on 1 May 1956.

      Reviewed 5 August 2026
    3. Uncertainty

      Counts differ among officially certified patients, people receiving other relief, rejected applicants, and residents whose exposure or symptoms were never recorded.

      Reviewed 5 August 2026
    4. Why it matters

      Minamata shows how pollution moves through an ecosystem and into human bodies while economic dependence and delayed recognition can prolong harm.

      Reviewed 5 August 2026