Regeneration of Local Communities a

Regeneration of Local Communities and Handing Down of Valuable Lessons
The Minamata area today has restored its past scenic beauty as the polluted area has been safely reclaimed
with the verification of the safety of local fish and shellfish. Concerted efforts for community development
have been made to turn the major negative legacy of Minamata Disease into a positive legacy.
This section describes some of the initiatives currently in progress in the area. One initiative aims at
improving the level of local health care and welfare so that aging victims, their families and local residents
can spend their lives with peace of mind. Another initiative aims at revitalising the local community while
overcoming the state of exhaustion caused by the discrimination against victims and collapse of local
communities as a result of the mixed existence of the offender and victims in a small company town.