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Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Australia China India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Japan PM apology to industrial pollution victims By MARI YAMAGUCHI,Associated Press Writer - Sunday, May 2 Send IM Story Print TOKYO – Japan's prime minister apologized to people suffering from a rare neurological disorder linked to eating fish contaminated with mercury dumped from a chemical plant as he attended a memorial service Saturday for those who have died of the disease. "I fully recognize the government's failure to prevent industrial pollution and contain the damage of Minamata disease, and once again offer my sincere apology," said Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, the first national leader to attend the annual memorial. and offered the clearest ever apology. He vowed to quickly provide support to patients, many of them elderly. The disorder now known as Minamata Disease was first diagnosed on May 1, 1956, and was later linked to the consumption of fish from Minamata Bay, where chemical company Chisso Corp. dumped tons of mercury compounds. Some 1,700 patients have died since. Most of the patients live in the coastal city of Minamata and several other towns in Kumamoto and nearby Kagoshima prefectures (states). "The Minamata problem is not over yet," Hatoyama said, promising to launch environmental, medical and welfare projects to help the community heal from the scars of Japan's worst industrial pollution. "We will convey Minamata's lesson to the rest of the world." Over the past 54 years, the government has recognized only about 3,000 of Minamata patients _ and offered them free medical care _ while tens of thousands of others have unsuccessfully applied for recognition as suffering from the disorder. The disease causes spasms, blurred vision, sensory loss and other symptoms. The babies of poisoned mothers are sometimes born with gnarled limbs. Following criticism for Tokyo's strict eligibility standards, the government last month adopted a new relief package for unrecognized patients, offering them lump-sum payments of 2.1 million yen ($22,600) each and monthly medical allowances of up to 17,700 yen ($190). The deal emerged in March as part of a court-brokered settlement for some 2,000 unrecognized patients suing central and local governments and Chisso. It would also cover more than 30,000 who didn't go to court. All applicants for the scheme are still subject to a more relaxed eligibility screening. Local government offices began accepting applications Saturday. At Saturday's service, held at a city park in Minamata built on a landfill along the bay, representatives of patients' groups poured water over the memorial statue, submitted a list of 27 victims who died since last May, observed a moment of silence and rang a bell of requiem. Hatoyama also laid flowers at the statue and spoke with some of the patients in a move that was not part of the event program. A 2004 Supreme Court ruling held the government responsible for allowing the pollution to continue for years after its discovery _ the company did not stop the practice of dumping until 1970. That ruling prompted renewed calls for the government to expand the scope of support. Minamata disease became an international symbol of environmental damage and the corruption behind Japan's rise to economic prominence. Victims who spoke out say they were stigmatized, harassed by company thugs and endured lengthy and costly legal battles. 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