leaked by the factory. it poisoned the fish, then people who ate the seafood got the minimata disease. there had been no poisoning before a chemical factory was built in the bay. but the company, the chisso corporation, denied all responsibility and continued to pump its waste into the sea. translation: cats got. the disease before people. they went blind and danced round and round like crazy. soon it was clear people were suffering as well. translation: mayumi first daughter, she can eat fish well because she was only three years old. but she could eat prawns by herself so i let her eat prawns. we thought that something might
be wrong with mayumi. we thought she might have the strange disease. when our hands started shaking, i realised she had the disease. she became unable to walk properly, unable to speak. doctors from the local university filmed the shaking fits. they suspected metal poisoning. translation: when | visited her| in hospital, she had lost her sight. but she could still hear. i said to her, mayumi, your mummy is here, you don t have to cry any more. she gave me a sweet smile. it was her last smile.