The Environment Agency will reopen the case of a now-deceased man whose family tried for more than 16 years to have him recognized as a victim of Minamata disease, the head of the agency told reporters Friday.
Kumamoto Prefecture had originally rejected the man's to be recognized as a sufferer of the mercury pollution-caused disease and receive government compensation in 1979.
The man, whose name was not released, appealed but died in 1980 at age 57 before a decision was made. Close relatives then pursued his claim but finally dropped the case in 1997. "(The agency) recognizes that it made a mistake involving the judgment on the applicant's appeal, so we will nullify its February 1997 withdrawal of the application and reopen the case," Kenji Manabe, the agency's director general, said, adding he expects a judgment by March at the latest.