Overview
- At a Nov. 1 news conference in Minamata, the Minamata Disease Victims and Supporters Liaison Council said it sent a request to Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara to stop the planned testing method.
- The Environment Ministry intends to run a residents’ health survey under the Special Measures Law from next fiscal year using MRI and magnetoencephalography.
- Victims argue the imaging-based protocol would keep participants in examinations for too long and hinder timely coverage across affected areas.
- The group promotes clinical sensory checks with a brush and a needle to detect numbness as a lower-cost, practical alternative for assessing conditions.
- Earlier reporting pointed to a late-November trial of the planned approach, and the petition directly contests moving ahead on that timeline.