Negative Aspects of Noneconomic Compensation for Technological Disaster Victims-Contemporary Issues of Minamata Disease-

In the context of technological disaster issues, it is often claimed that financial compensations for victims is not enough to solve a problem: noneconomic measures such as security of medical treatment, education, job training and residential care services need to be developed. Implementing both will be positive for the comprehensive solution. Through analyzing Minamata Disease problem, this presentation will also point out negative aspects of noneconomic measures and discuss its meaning for the framework of environmental sociology.

Minamata Disease was caused by quicksilver pollution of Shiranui sea, south Japan, by wastewater from a large chemical factory. 60 years have been passed since the occurrence of the disease. In recent years victim’s symptoms and disabilities have become more severe as they grow older. Residential care services for the aged victims have been percepted as an urgent issue by authorities and have implemented some measures in practice. Especially congenital victims have confronted with severe situation because of deterioration in disabilities. This presentation will focus on them.

The interview surveys with the victims and their caretakers will show that the necessity of further residential care services. Careful supports need to be implemented by the authorities. However this result has or will lead two problems. One is that behind implementing noneconomic measures existing financial compensations and certification process has been stagnant. Second is that the more careful care services the authorities offer the victims, the less services people with disabilities in the damaged area get relatively. It will lead to relative deprivation. Especially from second issue, as a conclusion, this presentation will suggest that to understand and solve environmental disaster problem, Environmental sociology needs to be developed not only by connecting with similar discipline like environmental law, economics, politics, but also by disciplines related to social problem like social welfare, disability studies.