The government filed an appeal Friday with the Supreme Court against an April 27 Osaka High Court ruling that found the state failed to act to prevent mercury poisoning and ordered it to pay damages to victims of Minamata disease.
"The government has addressed the Minamata disease problem to the full extent of its available powers during the issue's long history. It cannot accept the ruling that the state should compensate the plaintiffs for failing to exercise its power under two water quality laws in force at the time, nor the interpretation and application of these laws, which is the basis for this judgment," Environment Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said.
"After reviewing the contents and significance of this ruling, and careful consideration of the effect on the government, we (in consultation with the Justice Ministry) reached the conclusion that there is a need to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court," Kawaguchi said.