ENVIRONMENTAL

IMPACT ASSESMENT

Minamata Case,
Japan
Created by:

Kay Jessica 12/327750/HK/19000

Indra Chakti 12/336174/HK/19292
Rizkyamanda Rana
12/331871/HK/19124
WATCHING: THE MINAMATA DISEASE
MINAMATA DISEASE

M i n a m a t a i s l o c a t e d o n t h e We s t e rn c o a s t o f
Ky u s h u , J a p a n ' s s o u t h e r n m o s t i s l a n d . I n 1 9 3 2 t h e
Chisso Corporation, an integral part of the local
economy since 1907, began to manufacture
acetald eh yde, u sed to produce plastics. As we know
n o w , t o s p i l l i n t o t h e b a y. T h o u g h n o o n e k n e w
mercury from the produ ction process b eg an until
decades later, the heavy metal became
incorporated into methyl mercu ry ch loride: an
organic form that could enter the food chain. At the
time, Minamata residents relied almost exclusively
o n fi s h a n d s h e l l fi s h f r o m t h e b a y a s a s o u r c e o f
p rotein. For us , tod ay, the threat of pollution is
immediately evident. But one must not fail to
app reciate the historical context in w hich neither
s c i e n t i fi c e x p e r i e n c e n o r a p e r v a s i v e e n v i r o n m e n t a l
a w a r e n e s s c o u l d o ff e r s u c h a n e x p l i c i t w a r n i n g .

Minamata disease is a neurological synd rome

caused by severe mercury poisoning. The symptoms
include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet,
g e n e r a l m u s c l e w e a k n e s s , n a r r o w i n g o f t h e fi e l d o f
vision, and damage to hearing and speech. In
extreme cases, insanity, paralysis, coma, and death
follow within weeks of the onset of symptoms. A
c o n g e n i t a l f o r m o f t h e d i s e a s e c a n a l s o a ff e c t
fetuses in the womb.
MINAMATA DISEASE: THE
BEGINNING
On April 21, 1956, a five year-old girl was examined at the
Chisso Corporation's factory hospital in Minamata, Kumamoto,
Japan, a town on the west coast of the southern island of
Kysh. The physicians were puzzled by her symptoms:
difficulty walking, difficulty speaking and convulsions. Two
days later her younger sister also began to exhibit the same
symptoms and she too was hospitalised. The girls' mother
informed doctors that her neighbour's daughter was also
experiencing similar problems. After a house-to-house
investigation eight further patients were discovered and
hospitalised. On May 1, the hospital director reported to the
local public health office the discovery of an "epidemic of an
unknown disease of the central nervous system", marking the
official discovery of Minamata disease.

To investigate the epidemic, the city government and various

medical practitioners formed the Strange Disease
Countermeasures Committee at the end of May 1956. Owing
to the localised nature of the disease, it was suspected to be
contagious and as a precaution patients were isolated and
their homes disinfected. Although contagion was later
disproved, this initial response contributed to the
stigmatisation and discrimination experienced by Minamata
victims from the local community. During its investigations,
the committee uncovered surprising anecdotal evidence of the
strange behaviour of cats and other wildlife in the areas
surrounding patients' homes. From around 1950 onward, cats
had been seen to have convulsions, go mad and die. Locals
called it the "cat dancing disease, owing to their erratic
movement. Crows had fallen from the sky, seaweed no longer
MINAMATA DISEASE

T h e Ku m a m o t o U n i v e r s i t y Re s e a rc h G ro u p w a s f o rm e d o n A u g u s t
2 4 , 1 9 5 6 . Re s e a rc h e r s f ro m t h e S c h o o l o f M e d i c i n e b e g a n
visiting M i n am at a re gu l arl y a n d admitted patients to the
university hospital for detailed examinations. A more comple te
pi c t u re of t h e s y m p t om s ex h i b i te d by pat i e n t s w as gra du al l y
u n c ove re d. T h e di s e as e d e v e l op e d w i t h ou t an y pri or w a rn i n g ,
with patients complaining of a loss of sensation and numbness
in their hands and feet. They became unable to grasp small
objects or fasten buttons. They could not run or walk without
stumbling, their voices changed in pitch and many patients
c o m p l a i n e d o f d i ffi c u l t i e s s e e i n g , h e a r i n g a n d s w a l l o w i n g . I n
general these symptoms de teriorated and w ere follow ed by
se ve re c on vu l s i on s , c om a an d e v e n t u al l y d e at h . B y O c t obe r
1956, 40 patients had been discovered, 14 of whom had died: an
al arm i n g m ort al i t y rat e of 35 % .

Re s e a rc h e r s f ro m Ku m a m o t o U n i v e r s i t y a l s o b e g a n t o f o c u s o n
the cause of the strange disease. They found that the victims,
o f t e n m e m b e r s o f t h e s a m e f a m i l y , w e r e c l u s t e r e d i n fi s h i n g
h a m l e t s a l o n g t h e s h o r e o f M i n a m a t a B a y. T h e s t a p l e f o o d o f
v i c t i m s w a s i n v a r i a b l y fi s h a n d s h e l l fi s h f r o m M i n a m a t a B a y. T h e
cats in the local area, w ho tende d to eat scraps from the family
table, had die d with symptoms similar to those now discovered
in humans. This led the researchers to be lieve that the outbreak
was caused by some kind of food poisoning, with contaminated
fi s h a n d s h e l l fi s h b e i n g t h e p r i m e s u s p e c t s . O n N o v e m b e r 4 t h e
r e s e a r c h g r o u p a n n o u n c e d i t s i n i t i a l fi n d i n g s : " M i n a m a t a d i s e a s e
is rather considered to be poisoning by a heavy metal...
p r e s u m a b l y i t e n t e r s t h e h u m a n b o d y m a i n l y t h r o u g h fi s h a n d
s h e l l fi s h . "
 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ASSESSMENT
E n v i ro n m e n t a l I m p a c t A s s e s s m e n t i s a f o rm a l p ro c e s s u s e d t o p re d i ct t h e
e n v i ro n m e n t a l c o n s e q u e n ce s ( p o s i t i v e o r n e g a t i v e ) o f a p l a n , p o l i c y ,
p ro g r a m , o r p ro j e c t p r i o r t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n d e c i s i o n , i t p ro p o s e s
m e a s u re s t o a d j u s t i m p a ct s t o a cc e p t a b l e l e v e l s o r t o i n v e s t i g a t e n e w
t e c h n o l o g i c a l s o l u t i o n . A l t h o u g h i t c a n l e a d t o d i ffi c u l t e c o n o m i c d e c i s i o n s ,
s t ro n g p o l i t i c a l a n d s o c i a l c o m m i t m e n t s , b u t i t p ro t e ct s e n v i ro n m e n t w h i ch
s o u n d s b a s i s f o r e ff e c t i v e a n d s u s t a i n a b l e d e v e l o p m e n t .

T h e p u r p o s e o f t h e a s s e s s m e n t i s t o e n s u re t h a t d e c i s i o n m a ke r s c o n s i d e r
t h e e n v i ro n m e n t a l i m p a c t s w h e n d e c i d i n g w h e t h e r o r n o t t o p ro c e e d w i t h a
p ro j e c t , w h e t h e r o r n o t t h e p ro j e c t s h a l l b e c o n t i n u e d .

I n M i n a m a t a c a s e , w e c a n s e e t h a t t h e re i s n o p r a ct i c e o f E n v i ro n m e n t a l
I m p a c t A s s e s s m e n t p r i o r t o t h e d i s p o s a l o f t h e m e rc u r y t o t h e M i n a m a t a
B a y. T h e C h i s s o C o m p a n y d i d n o t co n ce rn a b o u t t h e l o n g - t e rm e ff e c t a n d
o u t c o m e t h a t w i l l b e o c c u rre d a ft e r t h e w a s t e d i s p o s a l t o t h e M i n a m a t a
bay that caused such disease.
 WHAT IS THE
RELATION TO THE
INTERNATIONAL
ENVIRONMENTAL
LAW ?
 D E C L A RAT I O N O F T H E U N I T E D N AT I O N S C O N F E R E N C E O N
THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT 1972 STOCKHOLM
D E C L A RAT I O N

Principle 7:

States shall take all possible steps to prevent pollution of the seas
by substances that are lia ble to crea te haz ards to huma n health, to
ha rm living resources and mar ine life, to da mage a menities or to
interfere with other legitima te uses of the sea.
 T H E R IO D E C L ARATIO N O N E N VIRO N M E N T AN D
D E VE LO P M E N T
( R I O D E C L A R AT I O N ) O F 1 9 9 2 U N I T E D N AT I O N S C O N F E R E N C E O N E N V I R O N M E N T A N D
D E V E LO P M E N T )

Principle 17: Environmental Impact Assessm ents

Environmental impact assessment, a s a national instrument, shall be

undertaken for proposed a ctivities tha t a re likely to have a signifi ca nt
adverse impact on the environment a nd are subject to a decision of a
competent national authority.
 CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

According to Convention on Biological Diversity, Article 14 (1a) and 14 (1b):

E a c h C o n t r a c t i n g Pa r t y , a s f a r a s p o s s i b l e a n d a s a p p ro p r i a t e , s h a l l
i n t ro d u c e a p p ro p r i a t e p ro c e d u re s re q u i r i n g e n v i ro n m e n t a l i m p a c t a s s e s s m e n t
o f i t s p ro p o s e d p ro j e c t s t h a t a re l i ke l y t o h a v e s i g n i fi c a n t a d v e r s e e ff e c t s o n
b i o l o g i c a l d i v e r s i t y w i t h a v i e w t o a v o i d i n g o r m i n i m i z i n g s u c h e ff e c t s a n d ,
w h e re a p p ro p r i a t e , a l l o w f o r p u b l i c p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n s u c h p ro c e d u re s . A n d
I n t ro d u c e a p p ro p r i a t e a r r a n g e m e n t s t o e n s u re t h a t t h e e n v i ro n m e n t a l
c o n s e q u e n c e s o f i t s p ro g r a m s a n d p o l i c i e s t h a t a re l i ke l y t o h a v e s i g n i fi c a n t
a d v e r s e i m p a c t s o n b i o l o g i c a l d i v e r s i t y a re d u l y t a ke n i n t o a c c o u n t .

Fro m t h a t b o t h a r t i c l e , w e c o u l d s a y t h a t i n t h e fi r s t p l a c e ( 1 9 3 2 ) , C h i s s o
C o m p a n y s h o u l d h a v e c o n s i d e re d t h e e n v i ro n m e n t a l i m p a c t c a u s e d b y t h e i r
I n d u s t r i a l w a s t e t o t h e e n v i ro n m e n t , w h e n t h e y p l a c e d t h e i r I n d u s t r i a l w a s t e
in Minamata Bay and they should ask or notify the Japanese Government to
g e t g u i d a n c e re g a r d i n g t h e i r I n d u s t r i a l a c t i v i t y a n d a l s o i n f o r m t h e s o c i e t y
a b o u t t h e i r i n d u s t r i a l a c t i v i t y w h i c h m a y c a u s e s i g n i fi c a n t i m p a c t o n
b i o l o g i c a l d i v e r s i t y o r e n v i ro n m e n t . I f C h i s s o C o r p o r a t i o n f o l l o w s t h e r u l e s
t h a t s t i p u l a t e d i n t h a t b o t h a r t i c l e , m a y b e t h e re w o u l d b e n o h a r m s o r s u c h
d i s a s t e r s o c c u r re d .
 UN IT E D N AT ION C O N VE N T ION ON L AW O F TH E S E A
198 2

1982 UNCLOS
The 1982 UNCLOS requires the prior assessment of
the eff ects of activities on the marine environment.
Under Article 206:
When states have reasonable grounds for believing
that planned activities under their jurisdiction or
control may cause substantial pollution of or signifi cant
and harmful changes to the marine environment, they
shall, as far as practicable, assess the potential eff ects
of such activities on the marine environment and shall
communicate reports of the results of such
assessments at appropriate intervals to the competent
international organizations, which should make them
available to all states.
 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we apprehend that all conventions and

principles that we have mentioned before have not been
established regulated at the time when Minamata disease
occurred. Nonetheless, if such principles and convention
existed at that time, not only Chisso Company, but Japan
as the state where the Minamata disease occurred shall be
liable to the impacts and losses arisen from that tragedy.
First of all, the Chisso Company has the absolute liability
to the disease arisen because of their waste disposal that
causing severe sickness and harm to the people. Secondly,
Japan as the country where the company stood at, shall
stipulated about the guidelines and the importance of
Environmental Impact Assessment for every company or
corporation that intended to involving hazardous materials
and waste within their business.