This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. It overviews the poisoning which occurred
in the 1950s and 1960s among the residents in Minamata who ate seafood contaminated with
methylmercury discharged from the chemical factory Chisso Corporation. It describes the
history symptoms pathogenesis and research on the causal agent and discusses the responses of
Chisso and the national and local governments to the outbreak the victims the compensation
and environmental restructuring as well as the court ruling on claims. Based on lecture notes
from a university course it includes students' suggestions for avoiding a repeat of the
tragedy. The issue has not been settled yet and this analysis of the incident provides useful
insights into solutions to the current global mercury pollution problem.
