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The Poison That Lingers: What Minamata Bay Taught Us About Justice
A poisoned city. A corporate cover-up. The fight for justice isn’t over.
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Minamata is a quiet coastal city in southern Japan, known today for its scenic ocean views and fresh seafood. But beneath its surface lies a history of corporate greed and environmental destruction.
I met Aiichiro Kawamoto, a kataribe (語り部) — a storyteller. But this wasn’t just history. It was his life.
He told me about his grandfather, a fisherman who woke up one morning unable to move his legs. About the children whose hands curled inwards like dying leaves. About the babies born with twisted limbs and empty eyes.
His family ate from the sea. They trusted it.
They didn’t know it had turned against them.
How poison took over a city
The water in Minamata Bay was clear. That’s the thing about poison — it doesn’t always look like poison.
