“Generating Change in Minamata” by Tingfeng Lee

This image depicts the hourly and daily electricity generation (発電電力) at Minamata City Hall, Kumamoto Prefecture. It reflects the eco-consciousness of residents and forms one effort to revitalize their hometown in light of its poisonous past. Minamata is widely known for Minamata Disease, a neurological disorder caused by severe methyl mercury poisoning due to the release of untreated wastewater by the Chisso Corporation into Minamata Bay in the 1950s. However, in recent decades Minamata has been trying to strike a balance between environmental protection and economic progress. Aimed at creating a “Zero Waste City,” Minamata residents separate their rubbish into 23 categories for recycling, an unusually high number in Japan. This is in conjunction with the city’s 4Rs campaign – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. In 2001, Minamata City was awarded the ISO 14001, an international certification for environmental management, and the city was named “Japan’s Eco-City Capital” in 2011 for spearheading Japan’s environmental efforts. Shadowed by lingering impacts of Minamata Disease, the city continues to be in cognizant of its past through the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum (水俣病資料館) and Minamata Disease Archives (水俣病情報センター). Attracting both domestic and overseas visitors, these facilities impart important lessons from the city’s past and inculcate the need for environmental awareness.

A visit to Tanaka Shōten (田中商店), a recycling company based in Minamata City, provided a better understanding of how a company in this “Eco-capital” tries to advocate both environmental protection and economic sustainability. Without incurring any cost for raw materials (notwithstanding manpower and equipment), when recycled trash gets delivered to the company, Tanaka Shōten aligns economic viability with the city’s environmental vision. From recycled beer bottles to paintings made of recycled glass, Tanaka Shōten periodically launches new products in response to market trends and demands.

In the course of the two-day experience in Minamata City, it dawned upon us that the city’s revitalization efforts are not merely top-down but rather a form of community spirit that binds local residents with the local government and private businesses. Like a phoenix from its ashes, the residents of Minamata City have risen from their past to create a better tomorrow.