"Minamata Disease" was caused by organic mercury effluent in factory waste water and could occur anywhere in Asia, where countries are continually expanding industry for the sake of economic growth.
Since its 1996 opening, the Municipal Minamata Disease Museum has welcomed over 31000 visitors from 105 countries, half of which are Asian. Furthermore, due to the great response from Minamata's participation in the ASEAN "International Pollution Forum" and the "Minamata Environmental Issue Symposium" held in China in 1999, the City hopes to use the Minamata Disease example to raise awareness of the seriousness of industrial pollution. Participation in the JICA Training Program is a means to make accessible the citizens' environmental regeneration activities and protection policies through a national self-governing organization to people in developing countries.