National / History Jun 13, 2015
Mercury rising: Niigata struggles to bury its Minamata ghosts
by Rob Gilhooly
The first thing Koichi Hirota noticed about Komatsu Hoshiyama was that he could not walk in a straight line. As the young neurologist proceeded with his examination in the cramped, sparse ward inside Niigata University Hospital, other symptoms became apparent: The 55-year-old Hoshiyama's body ...