ABSTRACT
Pollution in Japan has affected almost every aspect of the living environment and, with it, the health of the population. In December 1985, according to statistics produced by Japan’s Environment Agency, almost 100,000 people were certified as suffering from pollution-related illness and entitled to compensation under the Pollution-Related Health Damage Compensation Law of 1969. The majority of these people suffer from respiratory illnesses linked to air pollution, such as chronic and asthmatic bronchitis. 1 Moreover in the past Japan has faced major pollution incidents, such as mercury poisoning at Minamata and Niigata and cadmium poisoning at Toyama, which caused death and permanent injury to thousands of people.
