Home > Outline of Japan's Industrial Pollution Abatement > Preventative Measures Against Water Pollution Jinzu River, Toyama Prefecture > 1) Result of countermeasures at the pollution-generating source
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Update:April 1, 2010
5.SUMMARY
Some 20 years have past since. the court`s ruling on the itai-itai disease. Pollution prevention at the Kamioka Mines has made incredible progress owing to scientific and general research and the epoch-making pollution prevention agreement yet seen anywhere else in the world. A gist of the results are as follows.
There used to be some 600 or more mines operating in Japan during the 1950s and 1960s. But, because of the oil crisis and the rising yen, mines began to close down, bringing this number to 236 in the 1970s and just 25 by 1989. Now, there are less than 10 mines in operation, The fact that the Kamioka Mines have survived in the itai-itai disease story despites the ongoing situation, not only points out the mammoth scale of the operations, but also the cooperation that the local residents, Mitsui Mining and Smelting and the government showed in disclosing and sharing information. Arduous scientific and general investigative research formed the foundation of a technical and economical response unrivaled to date.