Minamata Chronology
This chronology shows a history of the Minamata area regarding Minamata disease from the Meiji era to the present. Each item/event is given a reference to its source.
Abbreviations of reference sources
- AC: Ayumi Chronology
- The Editorial Committee of the Shin Nippon Chisso Labor Union’s photo collection (Jan. 2006).
The 59-year Footsteps of the Shin Nippon Chisso Labor Union We Created and Battled - KB: Kukaku Binran
- Kumamoto Women’s College Research Institute of Regional Culture (1985). Shirakawa-ken ka Kukaku Binran (Handbook Zoning in Shirakawa-ken). Collection of History of Kumamoto prefecture No. 3
- Kumanichi: Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun (Newspaper)
- Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun Co., Ltd.
- CH: City History
- Minamata city (Oct. 1991). New History of Minamata City
- SH: Short History
- Takamine, Takeshi (March. 2008). Short History of Minamata Disease, Booklet of Minamata Disease No.6, Kumamoto Nichi Nichi Shimbun Newspaper
- GS: General Survey
- General Survey of Shin Nihon Chisso Hiryo Projects (July, 1937). The New Japan Nitrogenous Fertilizer Company (Nippon Chisso Hiryo K.K.)
- CMD: Chronology of Minamata Disease
- Arima, Sumio (Jan. 1979). Minamata Disease The 20-year Study and Assignment Today about Minamata Disease, Seirinsha
| 1957 | Jan.17 | The Fisheries Cooperative Association of Minamata City demands that Shin Nitchitsu stop discharging polluted water into the sea and install some purification equipment. The acid of the wastewater should be neutralized and released into the sea. CH vol. 2 p. 828 |
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| 1957 | Aug.1 | The patients of Minamata disease organize the Mutual Aid Society of Minamata Strange Disease Sufferers (Minamata Kibyo Risaisha Gojokai). The president is Eizo Watanabe. Later, the name is changed to the Mutual Aid Society of Minamata Disease Patients and Families (Minamata-byo Kanja Katei Gojokai) CH vol. 2 p. 828 |
| 1957 | Aug.16 | Kumamoto prefecture referred to the Ministry of Health and Welfare for availability of application to Item 2, Article 42 of Food Sanitation Act regarding the seafood in Minamata Bay. On Sept. 11, the Ministry answers that it is not applicable since the Ministry finds it baseless that all the seafood is poisoned. CH vol. 2 p. 841 |
| 1958 | Feb.7 | The director of the Shin Nitchitsu's Minamata Factory Hospital, Dr. Hajime Hosokawa, and two town doctors, Dr. Kaoru Matsumoto and Dr. Hideo Ichikawa, examine a patient with the symptoms of child cerebral paralysis for the first time. Later, it is identified as fetal Minamata disease. CH vol. 2 p. 861 |
| 1958 | Sept.-- | Shin Nitchitsu changes a drainage path for the process of acetaldehyde production, from the Hyakken drainage connecting to Minamata Bay into the Hachiman pool connecting to Shiranui Sea. This leads to widespread damage. SH p. 14 |
| 1959 | April.-- | The Fisheries Cooperative Association of Minamata City has refrained voluntarily from fishing in Minamata Bay. The association starts regulating the operation within 1,000 meters from the land and patrolling with a look-out boat. CH vol. 2 p. 842 |
| 1959 | Jul.22 | The study group of Kumamoto University officially reports that Minamata disease is a nervous system disorder caused by ingesting the seafood contaminated by mercury. CH vol. 2 p. 826 |
| 1959 | Jul.31 | The Fish Retail Cooperative of Minamata City, which consists of approximately 80 members, at its general meeting adopts a resolution to the effect that they won't buy any fish and shellfish which the Fisheries Cooperative Association of Minamata City catches. It is implemented from August 3, 1959. CH vol. 2 p. 829 |
| 1959 | Aug.5 | Shin Nitchitsu criticizes so-called view of organic mercury by Kumamoto University at the special committee on Minamata disease of the Kumamoto prefectural assembly, and announces the factory's own opinion against the view. CH vol. 2 p. 826 |
| 1959 | Aug.6 | Both the Fisheries Cooperative Association of Minamata City and the Fish Retail Cooperative of Minamata City request to compensate for the damage of fishing, to eliminate the sludge completely, and to install some purification equipment. CH vol. 2 p. 830 |
| 1959 | Aug.17 | The members of the Fisheries Cooperative Association stormed the venue for negotiation because they finds the amount of compensation paid by Shin Nitchitsu too low. On 18th, the riot task force of the prefectural police department resorts to force. Some fishermen, factory employees and policemen are injured. CH vol. 2 p. 830 |
| 1959 | Aug.19 | The Shin Nihon Chisso Labor Union decides to support the fishermen's struggles with Shin Nitchitsu at its representative assembly. On 29th, the Fisheries Cooperative Association of Minamata City and the Shin Nitchitsu's Minamata factory signed negotiation deals of fishery. The compensation for damage to fishery: 20 million yen The fund for promotion: 15 million yen The annual pension: 2 million yen AC CH vol. 2 p. 831 |
| 1959 | Oct.17 | At the rally of the fishermen along the coast of Shiranui Sea, they adopt a resolution of requiring compensation for fishery and patients, but Shin Nitchitsu rejects negotiations with them. Around 1500 fishermen get infuriated at Shin Nitchitsu, crashing into the factory and throwing rocks. AC CH vol. 2 p. 831 |
| 1959 | Nov.2 | After the above gathering, the fishermen, whose group negotiation for the closedown was rejected, break into the plant and scuffle with the police. Approximately 100 people are injured and 35 are arrested. AC CH vol. vol. 2 p. 831 |
| 1959 | Nov.24 | The governor, the prefectural assembly chairman, the mayor of Minamata city and others set up the grievance mediation committee for fishery of Shiranui Sea. The committee agrees on settlement: the compensation of 35 million yen, the start-up fund of 65 million yen and the installment of purification equipment. CH vol. 2 p. 831 |
| 1959 | Nov.25 | The Mutual Aid Society of Minamata Strange Disease Sufferers demands that Shin Nitchitsu should pay 3 million yen for each patient (totally 224 million yen), conducting a sit-down strike in front of the factory's main gate. CH vol. 2 p. 826 |
| 1959 | Dec.12 | The governor of Kumamoto prefecture announces that the prefecture will add to the compensation for the patients to the contents of the grievance mediation of fishery in Shiranui Sea, receiving the Mutual Aid Society of Minamata Strange Disease Sufferers' petition. CH vol. 2 p. 829 |
| 1959 | Dec.30 | Shin Nitchitsu and the Mutual Aid Society of Minamata Strange Disease Sufferers sign up for a contract of consolation payment: 300,000 yen for each deceased patient, 100,000 yen per adult patient, 30,000 yen per patient under age, 20,000 yen for funeral assistance, including renunciation of any more compensation. CH vol. 2 p. 829 |
| 1960 | Oct.18 | Kumamoto Prefectural Institute of Public Health starts a research of hair mercury levels in all the areas along Shiranui Sea collecting 3,000 samples for three years, analyzing them; however, the findings were not utilized. SH p. 26 CMD |
| 1961 | Aug.9 | The equipment of polymerization in Second Plastic Division of Nitchitsu explodes. Four union members die, nine are injured. On December 27, the old wood sugar factory of Engineering Department has an explosion. One union member dies and five are injured. AC |
| 1962 | Apr.17 | In the wage negotiation with the union, Shin Nitchitsu suggests a system of stable wages raised by the basis on the wages of other companies in the same business. The labor union takes a tougher line and goes into battle mode. CH vol. 1 p. 684 AC |
| 1962 | Apr.-- | The Fisheries Cooperative Association of Minamata City drops a prohibition on fishing in the area except Minamata Bay. CH vol. 2 p. 842 |
| 1962 | May.3 | The Shin Nihon Chisso Labor Union ceases the strike to ask Central Labor Relations Commission for mediation. On 18th, the Commission starts the mediation, but attitudes on both sides are unchanged. The mediation stops on June 6. CH vol. 2 p. 525 |
| 1962 | May.21 | Seeking a swift settlement of the labor dispute, the landholders of the Chisso facilities (including transmission line towers) set up a group called Farmer's Association (Noumin-kai) on November 19. The number of the members went up to 2,500 within less than a month. AC |
| 1962 | Jun.14 | The union members who are critical of the Shin Nihon Chisso Labor Union establishes Democratization Study Group (Minshuka Kenkyu-kai). CH vol. 2 p. 545, 549. |
| 1962 | Jul.20 | The Shin Nihon Chisso Labor Union of Tokyo on June 8 and the Union of Osaka on June 12 change their strategies so as to gain better conditions based on a stable wage system. They break away from their collaboration with the Union of Minamata and get into a negotiation with Shin Nitchitsu. CH vol. 2 p. 536 |
| 1962 | Jul.24 | Shin Nitchitsu begins a lockout. A group pf assistant managers and senior staff members and Democratization Study Group. play a central role in establishing the Second Labor Union called the New Labor Union of Shin Nitchitsu Minamata Factory (Shin Nitchitsu Minamata Kojo Shin-Rodo Kumiai called Shin-Roso), the New Labor Union for short. AC Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun July 24 and 26 |
| 1962 | Jul.26 | The Minamata city council plays a main part of the establishment of the Shin Nitchitsu Dispute Committee. On August 4, a meeting for promoting the settlement of dispute in the Minamata factory is held. Approximately 400 people attend a march after the meeting on 13th. CH vol. 2 p. 558 |
| 1962 | Aug.2 | Approximately 300 members of the New Labor Union try to go through the factory main gate to attend work, but they are blocked by pickets of the Shin Nihon Chisso Labor Union. They continue to try and break the picket line every day, and on 11th they finally succeed in entering the factory from the bay-line of Japan National Railways and make a start on production. CH vol. 2 p. 555 |
| 1962 | Aug.18 | The Alliance for Promoting Prosperity in Minamata City (Minamata-shi Hanyei Sokushin Domei) is established by some retail-store owners who support Shin Nitchitsu and the New Labor Union. At the second rally on September 3, the alliance calls for closing the doors of all the stores. The Shin Nihon Chisso Labor Union calls on people not to buy things at the allied stores. CH vol. 2 p. 586 |
| 1962 | Sept.21 | The New Union, the Union of Tokyo and the Union of Osaka sign an agreement, based on a stable wage system, with Shin Nitchitsu. AC |
| 1962 | Nov.29 | Sixteen people are diagnosed with fetal Minamata disease or congenital Minamata disease for the first time. CH vol. 2 p. 864 |
| 1963 | Jan.5 | The Local Labor Relations Commission offers an idea based on a stable wage system including the retirement of two leaders of the dispute. The Shin Nihon Chisso Labor Union and Shin Nitchitsu accept it, and the strike ends on January 22. AC CH vol. 2 p. 599 |
| 1963 | Feb.1 | In stages the union members begin working with 249 workers on the first stage. By the 11th stage on March 9, a total of 2,368 have started working again. Shin Nitchitsu takes strict measures including the following: 594 employees come back to the present post, but 531 employees are switched to different jobs inside the factory and 1,243 employees are dispatched to the facilities outside the factory. AC |
| 1963 | Feb.20 | The Study Group of Kumamoto University on Minamata Disease announces that the disease is caused by compounds of methyl mercury. CH vol. 1 p. 687 and Vol. 2 p. 827 |
| 1963 | May.13 | Shin Nitchitsu solicits voluntary retirement in three stages. As for the second stage, it includes firings based on the company's own criteria. Shin Nitchitsu and the Shin Nihon Chisso Labor Union have sharp conflicts over how to implement the measure. AC CH vol. 2 p. 610 |
| 1963 | Sept.24 | The Shin Nihon Chisso Labor Union starts the Athletic meet to develop team spirit, called Solidarity Athletic Meet (Danketsu Undokai). It continues to be held every year till 1969 and becomes a popular event in Minamata. From 1970 it is hosted by the Council of Labor Unions of the Minamata Area affiliated with General Council of Trade Unions of Japan. AC |
| 1963 | Oct.28 | Shin Nitchitsu suggests to the Shin Nihon Chisso Labor Union that the company transfer those who were caught in a cutback to Nankyu Kaihatsu Co., Ltd.. The Union files a petition for provisional disposition of maintaining their position with the Kumamoto District Court. The Supreme Court rejects the Union's appeal on November 6. AC CH vol. 2 p. 618 |
| 1964 | May.-- | The Fisheries Cooperative Association of Minamata City lifts the full ban on fishing in Minamata Bay. CH vol. 2 p. 842 |
| 1965 | Jan.-- | Shin Nitchitsu, the New Japan Nitrogenous Fertilizer Company (Shin-Nippon Chisso Hiryo Kabushiki Kaisha) is renamed Chisso Corporation (hereinafter referred to as Chisso). AC |
