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Minamata 56th anniversary

MINAMATA, Japan - Michio Morita, president of Chisso Corp., places a flower during a ceremony in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, on May 1, 2012, to mark the 56th anniversary of official recognition of the mercury-poisoning disease. A company plant caused the disease by releasing mercury-tainted water into the sea. To the left is Environment Minister Goshi Hosono.

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Minamata marks 56th anniv. of disease recognition

MINAMATA, Japan - Environment Minister Goshi Hosono (L) speaks to Minamata disease sufferers in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, on May 1, 2012, prior to a memorial ceremony for the 56th anniversary of official recognition of the mercury-poisoning disease. To the right is Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima.

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55th anniv. of Minamata disease recognition marked

MINAMATA, Japan - A man (C) suffering from Minamata disease offers flowers during a ceremony commemorating the 55th anniversary of the disease's official recognition in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, on May 1, 2011. The neurological illness, caused by mercury-tainted water dumped into the sea by a Chisso Corp. chemical plant, was officially recognized on May 1, 1956, when the local health center received a report about the emergence of an unknown disease from a doctor.

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Minamata disease victims mourned on 50th anniv.

MINAMATA, Japan - People offer prayers at the cenotaph dedicated to the victims of the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease during a memorial held in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, on the 50th anniversary of its official recognition on May 1.

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Minamata disease victims mourned on 50th anniv.

MINAMATA, Japan - A group of congenital Minamata disease patients mourn parents and friends, who have already passed away, during a memorial service held in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, on the 50th anniversary of the disease's official recognition on May 1.

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Minamata disease victims mourned on 50th anniv.

MINAMATA, Japan - People offer silent prayers for the victims of the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease during a memorial held in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, on the 50th anniversary of its official recognition on May 1.

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Minamata disease victims mourned on 50th anniv.

MINAMATA, Japan - Tsuginori Hamamoto, 70, a Minamata disease patient whose parents succumbed to the disease, is moved to tears while making a speech at a memorial service held in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, on the 50th anniversary of the disease's official recognition on May 1. ''We need to learn lessons from failure so we will not repeat the pollution and bring about victims like us,'' Hamamoto said.

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Minamata disease victims mourned on 50th anniv.

MINAMATA, Japan - A mother and her two children offer prayers to a stone Buddhist image at a park in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, before attending a memorial service held for the victims of the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease on the 50th anniversary of its official recognition on May 1.

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(3)2 die, more than 10 missing in mudslides in Kyushu

MINAMATA, Japan - The swollen Minamata River threatens to shatter a bridge in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture. Torrential rain drenched wide areas of Kyushu, leaving two people dead and more than 10 others missing.

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(2)2 die, more than 10 missing in mudslides in Kyushu

MINAMATA, Japan - An abandoned car stands buried in mudslides in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture on July 19. The Minamata municipal office has set up a disaster countermeasures office and issued an evacuation advisory for the entire city.

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Minamata disease symposium opens in Kumamoto Pref.

KUMAMOTO, Japan - The opening ceremony of the Sixth International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant is held in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Oct. 15. Some 500 researchers from about 40 countries are taking part in the five-day conference to discuss the actual conditions of mercury pollution around the world and study measures to combat them.

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Info center for Minamata disease opens in Kumamoto

KUMAMOTO, Japan - A mercury poisoning information center opens June 9 in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, the site of the country's worst outbreak of mercury poisoning. The center provides information on mercury poisoning and its prevention, featuring a database that will include clinical research data on the disease, toxicity of mercury and a display panel showing areas around the world contaminated by mercury.