Minamata settlement urged for unqualified

KUMAMOTO (Kyodo) The Kumamoto District Court proposed Monday a ¥2.1 million lump sum and monthly medical allowances for each previously unrecognized patient claiming to suffer Minamata disease, plus a ¥2.95 billion settlement for their group, their lawyers said.

The proposed settlement terms were presented by presiding Judge Ryosuke Takahashi at the fourth session of court-mediated negotiations between 2,126 plaintiffs and defendants — the central government, Kumamoto Prefecture and chemical maker Chisso Corp. — over a damages suit filed in 2005.

The medical allowances the court recommended amount to ¥12,900 per month for people under 70, ¥15,900 for people 70 and older and ¥17,700 for those hospitalized, according to the lawyers.

The proposed settlement also calls for setting up a third-party committee to determine who gets covered, they said.

The central government is working on rectifying cases involving people who do not meet the strict eligibility criteria for Minamata pollution victims, in line with settlement terms agreed under a special law that took effect last July.

Recognized Minamata disease patients each receive a ¥16 million to ¥18 million lump sum, in addition to a pension.

In recommending an amicable settlement in January, the court asked both sides to make specific proposals on settlement terms by Wednesday of last week, but both have left the matter to the court's discretion and asked the court to expedite its proposal instead.

In previous negotiations, the central government offered to expand coverage to a broader age range, which the plaintiffs have said they would positively consider.

The roughly 2,600-member group — plaintiffs in the Kumamoto suit and in similar suits at the Tokyo and Osaka district courts — plans to decide whether to accept the latest court proposal at a general meeting, possibly March 28.

The next settlement talks are slated for March 29.

Minamata disease is a neurological illness caused by mercury-tainted water released into the sea by a factory operated by Chisso in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture.

The Japan Times