A gathering calling for relief for victims of Kanemi Yusho and accountability from KANEKA CORPORATION, which manufactured the causative substance, was held in Takasago, Hyogo Prefecture. Victims and others called on the government to expand relief and on KANEKA CORPORATION to engage in dialogue. Approximately 90 people, including online participants, attended.
The 10th Takasago Gathering for Kanemi Yusho victims was held primarily in Takasago, Hyogo Prefecture, with victims and supporters from across Japan connected online. Participants adopted a statement calling on the government to expand relief for victims.
The gathering pointed to the fact that KANEKA CORPORATION manufactured the causative substance and to the causal relationship with the harm suffered, calling on the company to listen directly to victims. The managing editor of the Nagasaki Shimbun spoke at the Takasago venue, discussing the confrontation between politicians and bureaucrats.
Some participants stressed the need to resolve the issue of people not officially recognised as victims through a three-party consultation forum, while others called for relief for victims who have suffered symptoms since childhood. The statement called on the government to review diagnostic criteria that place emphasis on blood dioxin concentrations.
At the end of the event, participants held placards reading “Kanemi Yusho is not over” as a protest at the site, and a petition questioning the responses of the government and company was read aloud.