Minamata (水俣市; -shi) is a city located in Kumamoto, Japan.
As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 30,080 and the density of 184.69 persons per km². The total area is 162.87 km².
The city was founded on April 1, 1949.
It has been known in connection with a chronic mercury poisoning incident spanning decades, leading to the once-mysterious "Minamata disease". A single mercury polluting corporation was at fault for killing hundreds and harming thousands of people in Minamata and nearby.
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