Paper short abstract:

This paper examines experience of Minamata disease among the people of Goshoura Island, particularly the perception of mercury-contaminated fish. Through the analysis, this paper suggests that their deep and complex relationship with fish could be regarded as “intimate strangers” in the community.

Paper long abstract:

Goshoura Island is an isolated fishing community located opposite the shore of Minamata in southern Japan. The region has become stigmatized due to widespread mercury poisoning caused by industrial pollution between 1932 and 1968 which became known as Minamata disease (MD). Mercury poisoning caused by the consumption of contaminated fish and shellfish led to not only suffering and death among the victims, but also deep social and political divisions which remain in the community today. Fish are deeply rooted in the dietary culture, traditions and everyday lives of the people living in the contaminated areas near Minamata, including Goshoura Island, where fishing remains the main industry.

This paper draws analysis from the field date and the verbatim accounts of more than twenty people, found in journals and books published by victims’ groups, examines how mercury-contaminated fish were perceived on Goshoura Island. The accounts revealed that some of the residents ate fish even though they knew it was contaminated, suggesting that they had an intimate trust in their fish. At the same time, speaking of MD, including in the context of contaminated fish, has been taboo on Goshoura Island and is regarded as an incident on the opposite shore, despite many residents who were victims. These findings suggest that in order to understand the local experience of MD, we must regard the contradiction between the interpersonal experience of one’s body contaminated, and the fish as an “intimate stranger.”