This article is from the WeChat public account: ring planet ball (ID: huanxingxingqiu) , author: Laura Shen, title figure:” Minamata disease “stills
In late February this year, the Berlin Film Festival opened as scheduled. A film about the disease of Japan, Minamata Disease, was unveiled to commemorate a public health emergency in Japan more than 60 years ago. Its premiere coincided with the spread of new crown pneumonia in Japan.
“Minamata Disease” poster. Depp plays Eugene Smith, a well-known photojournalist who went to Japan to record the status of Minamata Disease.
The Japanese government’s response to the new crown pneumonia not only prevented errors, but also covered the news of the blockade. The Diamond Princess passenger returned home by bus, and the disembarkation officer returned to his post without virus surveillance, and 23 disembarked passengers did not receive virus surveillance. The government has not conducted strict tests and investigations on suspected patients, and even confirmed patients are still isolated at home.
On the other hand, an infectious disease expert known as the Japanese whistler revealed the truth about the improper management of the Diamond Princess epidemic, but was dismissed by government officials, criticized by the Deputy Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and by the Cabinet Chief Justice Wei refuted, and pulled the video two days later.
Okay held on February 15Mountain people naked offering. Picture: Asahi Shimbun
In the early days, the central government of Japan did not implement effective measures. Instead, local officials were determined. The governor of Hokkaido ordered the suspension of classes, taking the initiative to take responsibility, and became a clear stream. The governor of Hokkaido is maverick and young, and the Japanese central government ’s overall action is slow and inactive. Power is in the hands of elderly veterans with a procrastinating style and outdated ideas, highlighting the issue of government governance in Japan, which ranks seniority and stagnates machinery.
The plague is a mirror that illuminates the texture and essence of a country. The new crown epidemic is not a novelty for Japan. Problems of public health, government efficiency, and social depression have plagued Japan for many years, such as the Minamata disease more than 60 years ago.
Public health ills: the long road for civil servants and human rights protection
Japanese public health has a long history. It reached an unprecedented height in the middle of the last century, and it has been recorded in the post-war contemporary history of Japan.
Minamata disease is a chronic disease of mercury poisoning in Minamata Bay, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, which was first published in 1953. The black and white photography depicting the family of Minamata disease “Tomoko Bathing” has been recorded in history. In the photo, the mother holds a child with a mentally handicapped child bathing. The child with a muscular atrophy and a mentally deformed child is shocking.
“Tomoko Takes a Bath”, photo: Eugene Smith.
Japan is one of the earliest countries in the world to study pollution, but it is also one of the countries most affected by pollution. Minamata disease was the most famous nuisance incident in Japanese history, and it hit the world at that time.
In the 1950s and 1970s, Japan’s economy developed rapidly and public health incidents broke out frequently. Minamata disease in Kumamoto Prefecture, Second Minamata Disease in Niigata Prefecture, Painful Disease, and Yokkaichi Asthma are also called the four major public ills in Japan, as well as collective poisoning diseases such as the rice bran oil incident. These are all back-bite caused by improper discharge of industrial activities in Japan and harmful substances destroying the ecology.
American photographer Eugene Smith took a documentary photo in Japan in 1971, and the truth about Minamata Disease was only exposed worldwide. The picture shows the stills of the 2020 film Minamata Disease, depicting the scene where the photographer took pictures of the victims’ rights.
A photo of the rights protection of family members of the victims of Minamata Disease. Photo by Eugene Smith.
Aiming at public ills, the Japanese people have begun a long journey of public prosecutors and defending their rights. This is a protracted and tortured process, and the litigation even lasted half a century.
The outbreak of Minamata disease from 1953 to 1968 was recognized as a public hazard by the government and it took 16 years. The company Chosen, which discharged mercury-containing wastewater, deliberately blocked the news, making the incident unknown. In 1969, a lawsuit was filed by the injured residents, and the Kumamoto District Court found corporate responsibility and awarded damages.
The victims believe that the tragedy is not only caused by mercury-emitting companies, but the Japanese government, which is inaction and unresponsive, has an unshirkable responsibility. As a result, the people again launched a rights defense operation and demanded government compensation. But it was not until 1977, eight years later, that the Japanese government began to provide victims with relief standards.
Holding a child with Minamata Disease and a desperate Japanese victim’s family. Figure: mainichi.jp
But the matter has not been resolved. It took another 18 years. In 1995, the village cabinet proposed medical assistance and the number of beneficiaries expanded to 10,000. Obviously, these measures will not solve the victims’ physical, economic and mental losses for many years.
Nine years have passed. In 2004, the victim filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of Japan, and the Japanese Parliament finally passed the Minamata Relief Act. However, there are still a number of patients with Minamata disease that have not been the targets of relief. The protracted Minamata disease event still has no end in sight. It has been 67 years since the first outbreak of Minamata disease. Today, the victim’s rights protection has not stopped, and the government’s state compensation has not been fully paid.
Reporters questioned Japanese industrial companies that discharge hazardous sewage, the culprit of public health events
The second Minamata disease in Niigata Prefecture is also called Aganogawa Mercury Poisoning. The culprit is also Showa Denko Corporation, which discharges toxic sewage into the river. The company evaded its responsibility. In 1969, the victims of Niigata sued the company. In the court, the lawsuit was played for 4 years. In 1971, the court ruled that Showa lost, but a group of patients were still dismissed.
The activist association was established by these unidentified patients in 1973. The second lawsuit was filed in 1982, 9 years later, and it was not until 1996 that the court settled in 14 years.
The painful disease occurred in Toyama Prefecture in 1955. Mitsui Metals Mining Corporation discharged cadmium-containing sewage into the river. After drinking, the local residents caused chronic cadmium poisoning and bone pain. The disease has been epidemic in the local area for more than 20 years. A national investigation and study began in 1961, and the court was appealed in 1968. The case was delayed for 3 years before the case was closed.
Pain patients waiting outside the court. Figure: mainichi.jp
If the pollution in the middle of the last century was still limited to the conditions at that time, the Fukushima nuclear leak incident that occurred in the past decade should have been greatly improved. However, it is actually still slow. It took 5 years before and after the Tokyo Electric Power Company accepted the claim and paid it; the lawsuit against the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant took 6 years to reach a verdict in the Fukushima District Court; A 19-person class action lawsuit was issued in Chiba District Court after 8 years to 2019. The court denied the state’s responsibility and rejected the plaintiff’s request for state compensation.
In the face of public health incidents, the Japanese government’s inefficiency in handling, companies covering up and evading responsibilities, state compensation and judicial procedures are cumbersome and lengthy, and each public health incident can take years to decades. This slowness and inefficiency has nothing to do with Japanese society and culture.
Traditional, seemingly rigorous negligence that is covered up layer by layer
Although Japan has always been known for its professionalism and high-quality service, its seemingly tight surface is often accompanied by cover-ups.
In the beginning of 2020, the biggest news in Japan is Ghosn’s escape. Former Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Group President Ghosn passed through Japan ’s strict security system and fled Lebanon with fake passports. He also held a press conference to denounce The Japanese government’s persecution has shamed the Japanese government.
Report by Reuters about Ghosn’s “Golden Cicada Shelling” Development Conference. Figure: Reuters
Ghosn’s flight not only exposed the management loopholes of the Japanese government system, but also revealed the layers of cover-up and fierce political struggle that prevail in Japan. Ghosn was betrayed by the company’s internal employees in 2018, exposing the truth about his tax evasion and the use of his position to obtain ultra-high income. The downfall is the current CEO who was promoted and reused by Ghosn.
What’s strange is that these violations happened a few years ago. It has been exposed for so many years in the past. It can be seen that such blatant crimes have long been an open secret in the company. If the political struggle is not fierce, illegal acts cannot be investigated by law.
In a society that seems to regulate the rule of law in Japan, the rule of man is still a hidden rule. Ghosn underreported 5 billion yen in revenue in the five years from 2010 to 2015, equivalent to 300 million yuan. The leader of a company can hide a large amount of funds for such a long time, and it will only burst out after it has stepped down. It happened inside a multinational company giant, which shows that the system has a large loophole.
Xichuan Guangren, who accused Ghosn of misappropriating assets, also stepped down due to violation of compensation. Figure: wikimedia
The Ghosn scandal is not an example. Similar scandals have occurred in Japan in recent years: Toshiba falsely reported operating profit of 150 billion yen in 2015, and three successive presidents announced their resignations. In 2017, auto parts manufacturer Takata Corp. due to airbag quality problems , Having interrupted fermentation for 10 years and had to declare bankruptcy, leading global auto companies to launch the largest safety recall in history; in 2018 Kobe Steel admitted to falsifying the durability data of aluminum and copper products used for defense; in 2018, KYB Hydraulics acknowledged the equipment Falsified monitoring data.
These problems did not arise in a short period of time. They were concealed for several years or even ten years. They became public and became invisible until they became more and more intensive and fermented.
The family ugly ca n’t be advertised and strict subordinate cultures are deeply rooted in Japan. The workplace is working together to cover up problems. With a mindset of controlling public opinion, calming things down, and minimizing major issues, it is not the first to solve the problem, but the first to solve it. The person asking the question.
Whether it is an enterprise or a government civil servant system, internal struggles are fierce on various hills.