2.Prayers by the Prime Minister at the Memorial Service for Victims of Minamata Disease on May 1, 2010
(provisional translation)
On this solemn occasion of the Memorial Service for Victims of Minamata Disease, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences for those who lost their precious lives.
Today, I am truly full of emotion to know that I am the first Prime Minister in Japan to attend this annual Memorial Service.
Visting Minamata and seeing the sea, which is so beautiful that Roka Tokutomi, a great writer in Minamata in the Meiji Era, called it "a vibrant oil painting", I cannot help but feel a deep sense of sorrow for the pollution of such a splendid place, for the serious damage to human health and for the destruction of community bonds through segregation, prejudice and discord.
It is regrettable that Minamata Disease occured not only in Kumamoto and Kagoshima but also in Niigata as a second incident of Minamata Disease. I am extremely sorry to those who passed away after a long painful struggle, their bereaved families, those who gravely suffered from friction within the community and those who continue to suffer today.
Representing the government, I accept responsibility for the failure to fully perform the duty of preventing pollution as well as the spread of Minamata Disease, and I would like to express my sincere apology once more. My visit to Minamata and attendance at today's Memorial Service have reminded me of the need of the government to fulfill its responsibility to properly compensate the victims.
On May 1, 1956, 54 years ago today, Dr. Noda of Chisso Hospital rushed to the Minamata Health Centre to report his meeting with a patient. The discovery of Minamata Disease patients in Niigata was announced on June 12, 1965.
Many people have been working hard to solve the problem of Minamata Disease in this long period of 54 years since its official acknowledgement, but some big issues still remain unsolved.
Particularly pertinent is the existence of many people who are requesting relief today. Many of them are quite old.
The Act on Special Measures Concerning Relief for Vivtims of Minamata Disease and Solution to the Problem of Minamata Disease has been enacted because of the urgent need to improve the situation.
The Cabinet, led by myself, has held a number of discussion meetings with victims groups and other people concerned to find appropriate solutions and settlements as the embodiment of the Cabinet's motto of "A politic that protects people's lives". The institution of the "Policy for Relief Measures" is the culmination of these efforts. Based on the basic idea of protecting human life, the government is determined to provide swift relief for Minamata Disease victims as much as possible.
With a flood of emotion, I would like to announce the opening of the facility to receive fresh applications for relief from today, 1st of May.
The government has also held a number of meetings with those involved in lawsuits to seek possible amicable settlement. I believe that it is a real achievement to have now reached a basic agreement for an amicable settlement with the No More Minamata plaintiffs group.
However, I have no doubt in my mind that this agreement does not put an end to the problem of Minamata Disease. Rather, I would like to think of today as being a fresh start.
What is important before anything else for a final settlement of the problem is the creation of communities in which not only the victims but also all local residents can live with peace of mind. We are determined to develop a model where passionate engagement in environmental activities leads to the development and healthy growth of local communities. For this purpose, we will be earnestly proceeding with medical care and welfare measures for fetal patients and others, health monitoring of those with health concerns and rehabilitation, more specifically the Moyai-naoshi movement, of community bonds to create a better future in collaboration with local governments. In addition, I will disseminate the lessons learned from Minamata Disease to the world.
I am determined to actively contribute to preparing an international convention aiming at preventing mercury pollution so that health damage and environmental destruction such as that caused by Minamata Disease will never be repeated in any other country. To this end, Japan would like to host the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to prepare a global legally binding instrument on mercury which will be held in January next year. Moreover, I would like to name the convention the "Minamata Convention" by hosing the Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Japan, which will be held in 2013 to adopt and sign the convention, and pledge to the world our actions to prevent mercury pollution.
What is really important is to try to ensure that the tragic experiences of Minamata Disease is not repeated.
Representing the government, I hereby pledge that we will do everything we can to achieve a pollution-free and sustainable society in which the lives of people are protected hand-in-hand with local governments, private enterprises and the people of Japan and also to preserve a richly blessed natural environment to pass on to the next generations.
Finally, I would like to give my heartfelt prayers for those who have lost their lives as victims of Minamata Disease.
May 1, 2010
Yukio Hatoyama
Prime Minister of Japan