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Keywords Minamata disease · Industrial pollution · Hidden victims · Historical
review · Environmental governance
6.1 Introduction
This chapter discusses “framing” by using the Minamata disease as a case study.
Minamata Disease is one of the major pollution diseases that Japan has experienced.
Health problems – caused by industrial pollution during Japan’s high economic
growth in the 1950s and 1960s and that are treated as pollution diseases today –
continue to plague the country. Since damage to the environment and people’s
health was severe, the overall impacts on Japanese society was considerable. These
industrial pollution problems are exactly what gave birth to environmental engineering, environmental governance, environmental sociology, and many
environmental- related academic disciplines including “environmental studies” in
Japan as an integration of these disciplines. In the same vein, Japan’s major emphasis on environmental aspects has led to the popularity of sustainability science in
Japan as well. Thus, it follows that Minamata disease is one key factor leading to the
origins of environmental studies and sustainability science in Japan. All the more
because of this dubious history, I chose Minamata disease as a case study for discussing the issue of “framing” in sustainability science for this chapter.
In addition, Minamata disease not only represents part of the origin of sustainability science in Japan, but also represents one of the typical, ongoing current sustainability issues that involve several different framings even now. Although many
people may be under the misconception that Minamata disease is an event of the
past, several different ways of interpreting the Minamata disease case persist
depending on different viewpoints and lingering disputes. When people encounter
the term “lessons”, they often feel that a misinterpreted nuance in that “lessons”
generally implies that the matter in question no longer exists. However, the case in
hand, Minamata disease, is yet to be resolved. To properly address the problems of
Minamata disease, the skills and a sense of framing are necessary. This is another
reason for choosing the Minamata Disease case as a case study.
This chapter explains the outline of Minamata disease case first, several framings
of Minamata disease and then the importance of “framing” in sustainability
science.
6.2 Overview of Minamata Disease
6.2.1 What is Minamata Disease?
Minamata disease is a disease of the central nervous system caused by eating seafood contaminated by methylmercury; in other words, a form of methylmercury
poisoning. This was first officially acknowledged in May 1956, in Minamata City,
M. Onuki
Keywords Minamata disease · Industrial pollution · Hidden victims · Historical
review · Environmental governance
6.1 Introduction
This chapter discusses “framing” by using the Minamata disease as a case study.
Minamata Disease is one of the major pollution diseases that Japan has experienced.
Health problems – caused by industrial pollution during Japan’s high economic
growth in the 1950s and 1960s and that are treated as pollution diseases today –
continue to plague the country. Since damage to the environment and people’s
health was severe, the overall impacts on Japanese society was considerable. These
industrial pollution problems are exactly what gave birth to environmental engineering, environmental governance, environmental sociology, and many
environmental- related academic disciplines including “environmental studies” in
Japan as an integration of these disciplines. In the same vein, Japan’s major emphasis on environmental aspects has led to the popularity of sustainability science in
Japan as well. Thus, it follows that Minamata disease is one key factor leading to the
origins of environmental studies and sustainability science in Japan. All the more
because of this dubious history, I chose Minamata disease as a case study for discussing the issue of “framing” in sustainability science for this chapter.
In addition, Minamata disease not only represents part of the origin of sustainability science in Japan, but also represents one of the typical, ongoing current sustainability issues that involve several different framings even now. Although many
people may be under the misconception that Minamata disease is an event of the
past, several different ways of interpreting the Minamata disease case persist
depending on different viewpoints and lingering disputes. When people encounter
the term “lessons”, they often feel that a misinterpreted nuance in that “lessons”
generally implies that the matter in question no longer exists. However, the case in
hand, Minamata disease, is yet to be resolved. To properly address the problems of
Minamata disease, the skills and a sense of framing are necessary. This is another
reason for choosing the Minamata Disease case as a case study.
This chapter explains the outline of Minamata disease case first, several framings
of Minamata disease and then the importance of “framing” in sustainability
science.
6.2 Overview of Minamata Disease
6.2.1 What is Minamata Disease?
Minamata disease is a disease of the central nervous system caused by eating seafood contaminated by methylmercury; in other words, a form of methylmercury
poisoning. This was first officially acknowledged in May 1956, in Minamata City,
M. Onuki