An official from the Environment Ministry may have said something bad about Minamata disease. A group of patients with the disease pointed this out. The Environment Minister said he wants to apologize if it happened.
A representative from a Minamata disease patient group has alleged inappropriate remarks were made by an Environment Ministry official. In response, the Environment Minister, Hirotaka Ishihara, stated he would like to apologize if such remarks were indeed made during discussions with victim groups in Minamata City.
Allegations have surfaced that an Environment Ministry official made inappropriate remarks concerning Minamata disease, prompting a response from Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara. Minister Ishihara conveyed his willingness to issue an apology should the purported impropriety be substantiated during the Ministry's engagement with Minamata disease victim advocacy groups.