The plaintiffs, in their 50s and 80s, were living in Kumamoto and nearby Kagoshima at the time of the mercury poisoning and later moved to Osaka and elsewhere in western Japan.
Their symptoms, including numbness of the limbs, were typical of the mercury poisoning and cannot be explained by any other cause, the ruling said.
It is one of Japan's worst environmental disasters and became an international symbol of environmental damage and corruption behind Japan’s rise to economic prominence.
The central government had argued that there was no evidence to prove the plaintiffs suffered from Minamata disease.
A 2004 Supreme Court ruling held the government responsible for allowing the pollution to continue for years after its discovery, prompting renewed calls for the government to expand the scope of support.
Persons:
—, Judge Yuki Tatsuno, “, ”, Yoshie Maeda, Yoshiyuki Tokui, Hirokazu Matsuno
Organizations:
TOKYO, Wednesday, Court, Chisso Corp
Locations:
Kumamoto prefecture, Osaka, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Japan, Minamata, Kyushu, Tokyo, Niigata