In one picture, taken in August 1960, a 26-year-old woman stands alone on train station platform. She is leaving her son, born with Minamata disease, following divorce to start her life again.
On the next page, together with her new partner, she meets her son, who is in a wheelchair, in May 2010. She is now 77, the son 55.
The photo book, "The Minamata Disaster," is the work of freelance photographer Shisei Kuwabara. He was recently awarded the prestigious Domon Ken Award, sponsored by the daily Mainichi Shimbun and named after legendary photographer Ken Domon (1909-1990), for the book and earlier exhibition of photos taken over a half century showing people affected by the mercury poisoning disease.