Minamata

Minamata City Hall
Minamata-shi ; 水俣市
Geographical location in Japan
Region :	Kyushu
Prefecture :	Kumamoto
Coordinates :	32 ° 13 ' N , 130 ° 25' E Coordinates: 32 ° 12 '43 " N , 130 ° 24' 31" E
Basic data
Surface:	162.87 km²
Residents :	23,845 ; (October 1, 2019)
Population density :	146 inhabitants per km²
Community key :	43205-9
Symbols
Flag / coat of arms:
Tree :	cherry
Flower :	azalea
town hall
Address :	Minamata City Hall ; 1 - 1 - 1 , Jinnai; Minamata -shi ; Kumamoto 867-8555
Website URL:	http://www.minamatacity.jp
Location Minamatas in Kumamoto Prefecture

Minamata ( Japanese 水俣市 , -shi ) is a Japanese city in Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu Island on the coast of the Yatsushiro Sea , which is connected to the East China Sea by a strait . There are several thermal springs in the area that are used for bathing.

history

The city was named Shi on April 1, 1949 .

Minamata became the term for environmental damage caused by uncontrolled dumping , the chronic waste in the Yatsushiro Sea, when exhibited in the town mid-1950s, damage to the central nervous system of humans and animals mercury poisoning by untreated sewage a chemical plant of the company Chisso be returned and later became known as Minamata disease . According to current estimates, around 10,000 people were harmed and around 3,000 died.

In Minamata, 140 states agreed on the Minamata Convention in January 2013 at a United Nations conference , which was signed on October 11, 2013 in Kumamoto , Japan . The agreement provides for the worldwide monitoring and reduction of mercury emissions, especially in ore mining (especially gold mining ), from coal-fired power plants , cement works , metal works and waste incineration , and the abolition of products containing mercury such as clinical thermometers and batteries .