Minamata Convention: Activities developed in Japan and their incidence in mercury emissions

Abstract

The research presents a compilation of the strategies for the handling and management of mercury (Hg) carried out by Japan as a promoter and manager of the Minamata Convention. This agreement was established to reduce anthropogenic mercury emissions and prevent pollution worldwide. Article 14 of the agreement focuses on cooperation between the governments involved and provides technical assistance. That is why the activities were developed in the training course “Capacity building for the ratification and implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury” carried out in Japan, in which representatives from Ecuador, China, Sudan, Brazil, and Armenia. Ecuador is one of the countries that ratified this agreement in 2013, which is why it is necessary to understand the efforts developed by other countries, with a practical perspective, to know their feasibility and implementation in the long term in the national territory. This study describes the activities implemented in Japan, such as processing contaminated waste in the company Nomura Kohsan Co., Ltd. (Hokkaido), to know high-tech centers such as the National Institute for Minamata Disease (NIMD) and the Ministry of the Environment (MEGJ), and a tour of the environmental restoration project in Minamata Bay. The results demonstrate that the actions and policies adopted in Japan have considerably reduced Hg emissions, maintaining them at stable levels, which ratifies compliance with the different articles outlined in the Minamata Convention. Although efforts have been made in Ecuador to combat illegal mining where Hg and assist in mining districts, it is still among the most polluting countries in the region. Private and government entities must put effort into action plans to mitigate pollution and carry out periodic monitoring of emissions of this metal.