Japan Court Orders Damages over Niigata Minamata Disease

From Jiji

April 18th 2024

NIIGATA – A Japanese district court Thursday ordered Resonac Holdings Corp. to pay 104 million yen in damages to people claiming to suffer from Niigata Minamata disease, a neurological disorder caused by mercury poisoning. 

At Niigata District Court, Presiding Judge Norio Shimamura ruled that 26 of the 47 plaintiffs in the group lawsuit suffered from Minamata disease linked to methylmercury-tainted wastewater from a plant operated by the chemical maker’s predecessor, Showa Denko K.K., in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan.

The plaintiffs had demanded a total of 8.8 million yen per person in damages, including from the government, after they were excluded from a special relief program.

The judge rejected the claim against the government while ordering Resonac to pay 4 million yen to each of the 26 plaintiffs identified as disease victims. His ruling was read out by another judge Yusuke Suzuki.

Similar lawsuits have been filed at four district courts across the country. This is the third verdict in the series of suits.