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56-600: Minamata Bay is a bay in the small factory town of Minamata on the west coast of Kyūshū island, located in Kumamoto Prefecture , Japan. The bay is part of the larger Shiranui Sea which is sandwiched between the coast of the Kyūshū mainland and the off-lying islands of Kumamoto and Nagasaki prefectures. The coastline is rugged, with many inlets and coves which act as the spawning grounds of fish and shellfish . A great variety of creatures live in this area. Minamata Bay

112-528: A WHO Collaborating Centre for Studies on the Health Effects of Mercury Compounds. The Institute seeks to improve medical treatment of Minamata disease patients and conducts research on mercury compounds and their impact on organisms as well as potential detoxification mechanisms. In April, 2008 the Institute invented a method for adsorbing gaseous mercury in order to prevent air pollution and enable recycling of

168-610: A 53-day siege . It was during this time that the tradition of eating basashi (raw horse meat) originated. Basashi remains popular in Kumamoto and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere in Japan, although these days it is usually considered a delicacy. Within the outer walls of Kumamoto Castle is the Hosokawa Gyobu-tei, the former residence of the Higo daimyō . This traditional wooden mansion has

224-540: A Nature-oriented Ecological Town, Development of The City for Environmental Learning. This target area has three main goals: Since August 1993, in order to promote recyclable household garbage through sorting, the residents of Minamata City have planned (before any other city in Japan) a detailed garbage classification system; garbage was divided into 21 categories in the fiscal year 1999, and has now reached 24 categories. The City has set up 300 garbage collection stations around

280-453: A capacity of 100.000 kilolitres/year capacity. The facility will run for the remainder of 2012 to consider the feasibility of the process. The second goal is to have safe and reliable production in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The emphasis in this project is on local food production to reduce food mileage. Local agriculture produces mostly rice, mandarins and local salad onions. After

336-430: A fine Japanese garden located on its grounds. The first of many peace pagodas around the world was erected by Japanese Buddhist monk Nichidatsu Fujii atop Mount Hanaoka beginning 1947. Inaugurated in 1954, it was the first of over 80 built by Fujii and his followers all over the world. Kumamoto is also the location of Takahashi Inari Shrine and Fujisaki Hachimangū . Kumamoto is home to Suizen-ji Jōju-en ,

392-634: A formal garden neighboring Suizenji Temple approximately 3 kilometers southeast of Kumamoto Castle. Suizenji Park is also home to the Suizenji Municipal Stadium, where the city's football team, Roasso Kumamoto , used to play regularly. The team now uses the larger KKWing Stadium in Higashi Ward. Miyamoto Musashi lived the last part of his life in Kumamoto. His tomb and the cave where he resided during his final years (known as Reigandō , or "spirit rock cave") are situated close by. He penned

448-411: A lifestyle by which they can conserve and improve the environment. The aim of this project is to make the actions as practical as possible, so children can easily implement that in their everyday life. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) established a training program in which participants can learn the lessons of Minamata. At the end of the program, the participants are expected to achieve

504-647: A policy to amend relations between victims of the Minamata Disease and the other citizens and to give an end to prevailing social divisions. On 1 April 1992 the first Memorial Service for the Victims of Minamata Disease was organized and has taken place annually ever since. Moreover, the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum was founded in January 1993 in order to collect, preserve and pass on information about

560-742: A result, in December 1997, 16 women's groups, which have great interest in waste reduction, met together and organized the "Women's Liaison Conference on Waste Garbage" with the slogan of "Let's reduce the increasing garbage from each household!" They actively encourage residents not to bring home items that are not absolutely required which may result in waste, to repair broken items and to buy recycled products when possible. Major activities of "Women's Liaison Meeting for Reducing Waste" are: The municipal office of Minamata City obtained ISO 14001, international standard for environmental management, in February 1999. Under

616-501: A system for certifying craftsmen who attach much importance to the environment in their production activities. This is called the Environment Master System, and commenced in fiscal 1998, before any other city in Japan. This is to improve the status and consciousness of craftsman and promote the creation of safe and sound commodities in consideration of environment and health, reflecting their experience with Minamata disease. In

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672-574: A version of ISO, for various service businesses for citizens, such as an office, home, preschool and hotel. The city has the authority to do the assessment, the certification and the promotion of the ISOs. All of the 16 elementary and junior high schools in the city work on the school version of ISO to achieve the following goals: At the first school that implemented the school version of environmental ISO, teachers and students made an action plan. Every two weeks, they reflect on their conduct, in order to achieve

728-399: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Minamata Minamata is known due to Minamata disease , a neurological disorder caused by mercury poisoning. The disease was discovered in 1956. A local chemical plant was blamed for causing the disease by emitting untreated wastewater into Minamata Bay. Lately, Minamata has focused on becoming a model environmental city. In 1999,

784-522: Is globally accepted by policymakers and resulted in the UNEP Minamata Convention. The first patient with previously unseen neurological symptoms was reported in Minamata in 1956. In 1959, a researcher from Kumamoto University suspected that an organomercury compound could be the cause. However, paths of transformation of inorganic to organic mercury were unknown or uncertain at that time and so

840-405: Is producing biomass energy from regional resources. The resources they want to use are citrus fruit, bamboo and food waste , to produce bio-ethanol and E3. But in the environmental report of the city from 2011. It is not stated that biomass energy is used and most of the energy is purchased (48%) or made from oil (44%). In January 2012 a test facility to make Bio-ethanol from bamboo was opened with

896-558: Is striving to implement new and natural energy measures. Sources of natural energy: wind and solar. Wind and solar energy is mostly used for providing energy for buildings and infrastructure. Sources of new energy: bioethanol from bamboo, citrus fruit extract, thinned wood, and other plants. Bioethanol is mostly used for transportation and shipping. JNC Corp is one such bioethanol plant that was established in early 2012 that will produce 100,000 kiloliters/ year of bioethanol from bamboo. In this target area, Minamata eco-town committed itself to

952-426: Is the population of Minamata in recent years. Kumamoto Kumamoto ( 熊本市 , Kumamoto-shi ) is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu , Japan . As of June 1, 2019 , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km . The total area is 390.32 km . Greater Kumamoto ( 熊本都市圏 ) had a population of 1,461,000, as of

1008-484: Is to maximize, protect, and integrate the town with the environment. Programs to foster and maintain ecosystems began in 1998. One specific goal is to have forests cover 75% of the city area. Other generalized goals serve to maintain and improve absorption levels of carbon dioxide, and revitalize the sea with abundant marine plant life. Several districts have implemented projects to help create an environmentally symbiotic region: Utilizing New and Natural Energy: Minamata

1064-535: The Japanese Diet became remembered as the "Pollution Diet," as the Japanese government took action under the pressure of civil society movements provoked by Minamata disease as well as other two major environmental catastrophes - Yokkaichi Asthma and Itai-itai disease. Fourteen new environmental laws were passed in a single session, giving Japan what at the time were the most stringent environmental protection laws in

1120-662: The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm. The official report presented to the Conference by the Japanese government did not mention the disease at all; this lack of honesty resulted in a second report being put together by Japanese citizens. Minamata disease patients were sent to Stockholm to hand in the citizens' report. Evidence of the misery caused by heavy environmental pollution revealed

1176-581: The 2000 census. As of 2010 , Kumamoto Metropolitan Employment Area has a GDP of US$ 39.8 billion. It is not considered part of the Fukuoka–Kitakyushu metropolitan area, despite their shared border. The city was designated on April 1, 2012, by government ordinance . Katō Kiyomasa , a contemporary of Toyotomi Hideyoshi , was made daimyō of half of the (old) administrative region of Higo in 1588. Afterwards, Kiyomasa built Kumamoto Castle . Due to its many innovative defensive designs, Kumamoto Castle

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1232-533: The City of Kumamoto was founded on April 1, 1889. On July 1, 1945, near the end of World War II, Kumamoto was bombed in an Allied air raid that destroyed one square mile, which was 20% of the city's area. After the war, the Japanese Buddhist monk Nichidatsu Fujii decided to construct a Peace Pagoda atop Mount Hanaoka in the city to commemorate all those lost in war and to promote peace. Inaugurated in 1954, it

1288-435: The City. Each area's assigned recycling volunteers take turn in groups of two or three to assist the residents who bring in garbage for sorting out recyclable materials by themselves. Once a month the residents work together to classify garbage, an activity which revives the community spirit, and creates a place for residents to get together. Profits from the sale of recyclable garbage are distributed to each district according to

1344-437: The Minamata disease scandal local farmers wanted to show that their products were safe, so they changed their way of production by: not using pesticides anymore, use 70% less fertilizer and instead started using a special fertilizer from Chisso. In the 2011 environmental report the local production was stable for the last 10 years and the advice was to promote local production. Fishing was not possible from 1970 till 1997, because

1400-527: The Valley of the Wind and its anime adaptation . Toshiko Akiyoshi composed the jazz suite Minamata for big band, performed on her album Insights divided into three parts, reflecting the transition of the village from innocence to prosperity and consequence. 32°12′26″N 130°23′51″E  /  32.2073°N 130.3976°E  / 32.2073; 130.3976 This Kumamoto Prefecture location article

1456-402: The Victims of Minamata Disease and to so demonstrate regret on behalf of the national government. Minamata Eco-Town constitutes a set of environmental goals and initiatives, which seek to turn the town's negative legacy into a positive present and future. The idea dates back to 1992. In that year, the municipal government of Minamata announced "Moyai Naoshi" (meaning "Repairing social bonds") -

1512-415: The bay was closed with a net to prevent the catching of contaminated fish. During this period fishers were compensated by the local government. When the nets were removed sardine catching started to flourish and there now are full-time and part-time fishers, who combine fishing with other jobs. Finally the last goal for the industry is Development of a Second Eco-Industrial Housing Complex. With this program

1568-665: The city obtained the ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management. In 2001, Minamata became an official Japanese Eco-town. In 2004 and 2005, Minamata won the Japanese Top Eco-City contest. The city is best known as the former site of an environmental disaster caused by industrial pollution of the bay with mercury . From 1932 to 1968, the chemical company Chisso discharged effluent containing methyl mercury from their plant in Minamata. Methyl mercury contaminated Minamata Bay and accumulated in fish, which were then consumed by

1624-425: The city of Minamata. Each district develops their own environmental agreement system by allowing the local residents to establish "lifestyle rules" for their district. The Kagumeishi District Residents' Association (Environment Department) has developed one of the most extensive environmental agreement systems seen below: Creating an Environmentally Symbiotic Region: Part of the goal of Minamata becoming an eco town

1680-517: The city wants to build an industrial park mostly filled with companies that focus on the environment and the park is now filled with companies like: The different companies in the park vary in size and capacity and some companies only process products from Minamata city, while others process products from the region or the country. Part of this park is made possible by subsidies,. Natural environment preservation sector: Goals: District Environmental Agreement System: There are 26 districts within

1736-556: The disease and related issues. Apart from exhibitions, the Museum offers story-telling sessions by Minamata disease patients. Additional Minamata Disease archives were opened in 2001. In respect of envisaged sustainable development, the municipal government addressed environmental challenges along the social ones; A Declaration of the Construction of Eco-City Model was launched in 1992. Subsequently, waste separation by citizens became one of

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1792-473: The downside of Japan's post-war rapid economic development to the global public. In 1978, the National Institute for Minamata Disease was established in Minamata. It consists of four departments: The Department of Basic Medical Science, The Department of Clinical Medicine, The Department of Epidemiology and The Department of International Affairs and Environmental Sciences. In 1986, The Institute became

1848-593: The dreadfulness of environmental pollution and because of this, they can now produce truly safe and harmless products. Before the establishment of the master system, Minamata products were simply products produced with confidence by people who were particularly concerned about the environment. In the future, however, they will be traded as brand products produced by the renowned environmental masters of Minamata City. There are six qualification criteria to become an environmental master: Minamata tries to develop environmentally friendly industries with three goals. The first topic

1904-432: The effluent from Chisso was not identified as the sought source. It took 9 more years until the government officially acknowledged mercury-containing effluent from local acetaldehyde chemical plants to be the cause of Minamata disease. Since then, victims of Minamata disease have been compensated by Chisso and both local and national governments, due to the lawsuits won and official relief programs. The 1970 session of

1960-435: The environment in every part of their processes, including materials selection, production, processing, selling, and disposal of waste. "Products produced by environmental masters" mean safe and sound products certified by the municipal office. For some time in the past, Minamata-made products were not favorably accepted on the market due to the bad image of the city. Nonetheless, people in Minamata have learned through experience

2016-467: The famous Go Rin no Sho ( The Book of Five Rings ) whilst living here. The downtown area has a commercial district centred on two shopping arcades, the Shimotori and Kamitori, which extend for several city blocks. The main department stores are located here along with a large number of smaller retailers, restaurants, and bars. Many local festivals are held in or near the arcades. Cultural venues include

2072-416: The first year, fiscal 1998, nine craftsmen engaged in the activities of paper making, and the production of tea leaves, bread, tangerine oranges, vegetables, rice or eggs were certified. In fiscal 1999, five craftsmen including a tatami-maker were additionally certified, making the current total of certified environmental masters fourteen. All of them produce products with confidence and pay careful attention to

2128-519: The following: In Minamata itself, there are several environmental learning programs. At the Kumamato Prefecture Environmental Center, visitors can gain knowledge and understanding about environmental problems at facilities. This program focuses on daily life. There is also a program about aquatic environment, a program about pollution in rivers and several programs regarding recycling. According to Japanese census data, this

2184-540: The four following goals: In 1998, Minamata City set up an original certification system to support producers, which is called the "Environmental Meister Programme". The "Environmental Meister Programme" certification focuses on environment and health, but not on a specific field of production, which is quite unique. This system guarantees that certain products are safe to use. In 2000, Minamata City obtained ISO14001 certification to reduce environmental burdens associated with service businesses for citizens. The city drew up

2240-633: The key activities; today, 24 different kinds of waste are separated. A Prize for the Environment was established to promote sustainability across Japan and South-East Asia and a prefectural environmental centre was built in Minamata. Other major events and achievements: Currently, Minamata employs a plan of reducing greenhouse gases by 32% in 2020 and by 50% in 2050 compared to 2005. Four major target areas are designated to achieve these reductions: Activities for Environmentally Friendly Living, Development of Environmentally Friendly Industries, Development of

2296-449: The local population. In 1968 the discharge of poisonous effluent was ceased due to discontinuation of acetaldehyde production at the Chisso factory. However, the sea sediment as well as fish remained contaminated and so measures were taken to counteract the effects. In 1975, the bay was fenced by fishing nets. A sludge dredging project was initiated in 1977 and continued until 1990. During

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2352-458: The metal. For an overview of research in 2012, see website list of research Despite the fact that anti-pollution measures and patient-support programmes started in the 1970s, it took four more decades for the Government to fully admit responsibility and apologize on-site; on 1   May 2010 Prime Minister Hatoyama was the first Prime Minister to participate in a yearly-held Memorial Service for

2408-463: The only 24-hour public transport in the city. The city's most famous landmark is Kumamoto Castle , a large and once extremely well fortified Japanese castle. The donjon (castle central keep) is a concrete reconstruction built in the 1970s, but several ancillary wooden buildings from the original castle remain. The castle was assaulted during the Satsuma Rebellion and sacked and burned after

2464-453: The project, 784,000m of sludge was dredged and 582,000 m of land was reclaimed. On July 29, 1997, a Minamata Bay Safety Declaration was issued, nets had been removed and the environment was pronounced safe. By 2007, a total of 2,668 people were certified as Minamata disease patients, 639 of whom are alive today. Since Minamata mercury contamination event, the toxic burden of anthropogenic mercury (Hg) pollution for human and ecosystem health

2520-400: The system, the city intends to redouble efforts for the realization of "an environmental model city" making the most of the lessons from Minamata disease and fulfill the roles local governments should play in the preservation and revival of the global environment. There were multiple effects the city hoped to achieve with the implementation of ISO throughout the city: Minamata City established

2576-402: The town of Ueki (from Kamoto District ) were merged into Kumamoto. A series of earthquakes struck the area beginning April 14, 2016, including a tremor with moment magnitude 7.1 early in the morning of April 16, 2016. Kumamoto has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. There is significant precipitation throughout

2632-723: The weight of each district's recyclable garbage; large districts receive up to 600,000 yen a year and smaller districts about 70,000-80,000 yen. Besides classification, the Recycling Volunteers Committee promotes Taking-Back-Home- Garbage Campaign, Recycling Campaign, and organizes recycling fairs such as flea markets where reusable goods are sold. Because of its effort to classify garbage, Minamata City has successfully reduced its waste output significantly, from 10,000 tons in 1992 to 8,000 tons in 1994. However, it has become necessary to move beyond garbage classification to garbage reduction due to increasing garbage generation. As

2688-583: The world. These new laws included a Water Pollution Act and nationwide regulations of toxic discharges. The polluter pays principle was introduced. A national Environmental Agency, which later developed into the Ministry of Environment, was founded in 1971. National governmental expenditures on environmental issues almost doubled between 1970 and 1975 and tripled on the local government level. Business investments in clean technologies rose dramatically, too. Minamata disease attracted global attention in 1972 during

2744-462: The year, especially during June and July. The average annual temperature in Kumamoto is 17.2 °C (63.0 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,007.0 mm (79.02 in) with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 28.4 °C (83.1 °F), and lowest in January, at around 6.0 °C (42.8 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Kumamoto

2800-466: Was 38.8 °C (101.8 °F) on 17 July 1994; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −9.2 °C (15.4 °F) on 11 February 1929. Since April 1, 2012, Kumamoto has five wards (ku) : [REDACTED] Per Japanese census data, the population of Kumamoto in 2020 is 738,865 people. Kumamoto has been conducting censuses since 1920. Kazufumi Ōnishi has been the city's mayor since December 2014. In November 2017, Kumamoto politician Yuka Ogata

2856-477: Was completed, establishing a direct high-speed rail link to Tokyo via Fukuoka 's Hakata station. The JR Kumamoto station provides rail links to Japan's extensive rail network. Trams run to a few suburbs near the downtown area. A large bus terminus, called the Kotsu Centre , provides access to both local and intercity destinations. Several local taxi companies serve the Kumamoto metropolitan area and are

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2912-479: Was considered impenetrable, and Kiyomasa enjoyed a reputation as one of the finest castle-builders in Japanese history. After Kiyomasa died in 1611, his son, Tadahiro, succeeded him. In 1632, Tadahiro was removed by Tokugawa Iemitsu and replaced with the Hosokawa clan . Hosokawa Tadatoshi , the third lord of Kumamoto, was the patron of the artist and swordsman Miyamoto Musashi The current administrative body of

2968-486: Was forced to leave the Kumamoto municipal assembly because she had brought her baby. The incident was reported by international media as an example of the challenges facing women in Japan . Local public transport is provided by the Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau . Kumamoto Airport is located in nearby Mashiki . On March 12, 2011, work on the shinkansen (high-speed bullet train) network

3024-531: Was heavily polluted in the 1950s and 1960s by wastewater , mixed with mercury dumped into Hyakken Harbour from the Chisso Corporation 's factory in Minamata , particularly by methylmercury . The highly toxic compound bioaccumulated in fish and shellfish in the bay which, when eaten by the people living around the bay, gave rise to Minamata disease. More than 10,000 people were affected. A memorial service

3080-444: Was held at the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum on 1 May 2006 to mark 50 years since the official discovery of the disease. Despite bad weather the service was attended by over 600 people, including Chisso chairman Shunkichi Goto and Environment Minister Yuriko Koike . The poisoning of Minamata Bay had a large impact on Japanese culture as well. Hayao Miyazaki used this event as inspiration to create his epic manga Nausicaä of

3136-402: Was the first of over 80 Peace Pagodas built by Fujii and his followers all over the world. On February 1, 1991, the towns of Akita , Kawachi , Tenmei , and Hokubu (all from Hōtaku District ) were merged into Kumamoto. On October 6, 2008, the town of Tomiai (from Shimomashiki District ) was merged into Kumamoto. On March 23, 2010, the town of Jōnan (also from Shimomashiki District) and

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