Environmental pollution by toxic substances such as methylmercury led to serious damage
including health damage and destruction of the living environment. In the case of Minamata
Disease, there are many lessons that we could learn form this disease. The citizens of
Minamata believe that it is our responsibility to pass on the lessons of this tragedy to all
people not only in Japan but also in the world. The lessons of Minamata disease serve as a
warning and reminding us those tragic pollution disasters such as Minamata disease must
never be allowed to happen again anywhere on the earth. The lessons of Minamata disease
have been interpreted from a wide range of perspectives and from different angles. We need to
consider the lesson of environmental protection to be the first among these lessons. We would
like this first lesson to be shared by all people all over the world as well as commit ourselves
to make it known, just how crucial careful consideration of the environment is (MDMM,
2007).