SEAN MICHAEL WILSON
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  • Digital Ebook Versions
    • 47 Ronin ebook
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    • Black Ships ebook
    • Breaking the 10 ebook
    • Bushido ebook
    • Cold Mountain ebook
    • Demon's Sermon ebook
    • Faceless Ghost ebook
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    • Goodbye God? ebook
    • GFTU 120th Anniversary
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  • About
  • Latest News/Blog
  • Further information
  • All Books by Title
    • AX
    • Black Ships
    • Book of Five Rings
    • Breaking the 10
    • Bushido
    • Cold Mountain
    • Christmas Carol
    • Cigarette Girl
    • Demon's Sermon
    • Faceless Ghost
    • 47 Ronin 忠臣蔵
    • Fight The Power!
    • Gardening Mindfulness
    • Goodbye God
    • GFTU 120th Anniversary
    • Hagakure
    • Many Not the Few
    • Minamata Story
    • Morningside
    • Musashi
    • Orwell
    • Parecomic
    • Portraits of Violence
    • Satsuma Rebellion 西郷隆盛と西南戦争
    • Secrets of the Ninja
    • Spirit of Japan
    • Story of Lee
    • Sweeney Todd
    • Tao Te Ching
    • Tokyo + Olympics Guide
    • Wuthering Heights
    • Yakuza Moon
    • Yokai Stories
    • All Books on one page
  • Social Issue Books
  • Japanese Culture Books
  • Original Story Books
  • 日本語 Nihongo
    • 日本語の情報
    • 忠臣蔵
    • 西郷隆盛と西南戦争
    • 東京 +オリンピック
  • Digital Ebook Versions
    • 47 Ronin ebook
    • Bits and Bobs ebook
    • Book of Five Rings
    • Black Ships ebook
    • Breaking the 10 ebook
    • Bushido ebook
    • Cold Mountain ebook
    • Demon's Sermon ebook
    • Faceless Ghost ebook
    • Fight the Power ebook
    • The Garden ebook
    • Goodbye God? ebook
    • GFTU 120th Anniversary
    • Japanese Drawing Room
    • Morningside ebook
    • Musashi ebook
    • Ninja ebook
    • Parecomic ebook
    • Portraits of Violence ebook
    • Satsuma Rebellion 西郷隆盛 Ebook
    • Story of Lee ebook
    • Tao Te Ching ebook
    • Français ebooks
    • All digital books on one page
  • Français, Español, Italiano, 中文 etc
  • Sean's Publishers/Distributors
  • TV, Radio, Music
  • Film Production
  • Lectures, talks and teaching
  • Various Other Things
    • A History of Mr X
    • Anti-violence strip
    • Infograph on comics as art
    • Basic Income
    • Poems
    • Interviews and Articles
    • What did you do in the war daddy?
    • Manufacturing Consent - Illustrated
    • Blogspot page
    • Where i was born
  • Shop! Buy Sean's books
  • Contact メール
  • Fred Dixon
  • SSCC
SEAN MICHAEL WILSON
                             The Minamata Story 
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A true story of environmental damage and deeply moving personal tragedy in Japan due to miss-management and cover up.

A graphic novel /manga on ‘Minamata disease’, which looks at the devastating effect of mercury poisoning by chemical company of coastal communities of Japan, especially the fishing village of Minamata. Following the college research of a young student, Tomi, and his grandmother we discover a tale of corporations evading responsibility, government cover ups and the very moving story of the local people who suffered the consequences with bitterness, pain but with deep strength and courage.

Written by Sean Michael Wilson
Illustrated by Akiko Shimojima

​Coming from the respected publisher of Asia related books, Stonebridge Press
(Please note that the publication date has been delayed due to the disruption to publishing caused by coronavirus, the book has been rescheduled to come out June 15th 2021)

Get it on Amazon:
www.amazon.com/Minamata-Story-Sean-Michael-Wilson/dp/1611720567

Barnes and Noble:
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-minamata-story-sean-michael-wilson/1133785165?ean=9781611720563
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From the Press Release:

  • this graphic novel dramatizes the story of "Minamata," famous around the world as one of the most egregious examples of environmental poisoning; identified in 1956, a final compensation settlement was not reached until 2010; over 2,000 people were affected and over 1,700 have died
  • many people have heard about Minamata, but few know the real story or the human cost
  • the artist is Japanese, the writer British, giving the book a great mix of narrative and authentic representation
  • movie connection: a movie titled Minamata starring Johnny Depp is currently being filmed in Japan; release date TBD (2020?); it is based on the life of W. Eugene Smith, whose photoessay on Minamata in the 1970s stunned the world (we do not know the release date and our book is not a direct or licensed tie-in)
  • author Wilson has a solid track record of historical documentation of Japanese history and culture: The Book of Five Rings, Yakuza Moon, Black Ships; note that New Internationalist, a CBSD client, publishes Wilson's recent book The Many Not the Few 9781780264448
  • appeals to ecowarriors of all ages, but manga presentation makes it a good choice for younger readers (although it is not marketed as a children's title)
  • most recently, the story of Minamata reminds us of the problem of lead-poisoned water in Flint, Michigan, and represents the same kind of governmental bungling and indifference
Sean Michael Wilson - Wilson's Web