About NIMD
Facility guide
We have nine buildings on our premises, consisting of not only research and experiment facilities but also rehabilitation facilities for Minamata disease patients. There are also other facilities affiliated with us: the Minamata Disease Archives and the MEG Center, which is located within the Minamata City General Hospital & Medical Center. Please note that the facilities managed by us are thus located in three separate locations.
National Institute for Minamata Disease (facilities layout)
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1
Main Building (a high-rise wing)
A facility that is composed mainly of research laboratories for conducting fundamental research on mercury.
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2
Main Building (a low-rise wing)
A facility that is composed of offices of the Administration Division and some research laboratories.
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3
Rehabilitation Building
A rehabilitation facility dedicated to providing Minamata disease patients with better wellness.
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4
Research Resource Bank Building
A facility for storing past test samples involving methylmercury poisoning related to Minamata disease and autopsy samples collected in Kumamoto Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture.
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5
Animal Experiment Building
A facility for conducting animal testing with mice, rats, etc.
It consists of three wings: SPF Animal Experiment Wing, Medium to Large Animal Experiment Wing and Small Animal Experiment Wing.
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6
Radioisotope Experiment Building
A facility for performing research using radioactive isotopes (RI).
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7
Special Wastewater Treatment Building
A facility for detoxicating post-experiment wastewater generated in the Institute that contains hazardous heavy metals, including mercury.
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8
International Research Cooperation Building
A facility for providing researchers from overseas with research space and accommodations to facilitate international surveys and research related to mercury pollution.
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9
Collaborative Research and Demonstration Building
A facility for performing research on the fate of mercury in the environment (especially mercury in water and soil and in the atmosphere).
It also houses accommodations for domestic researchers (eight rooms in total).
MEG Center
A facility that was opened in 2009 on the premises of the Minamata City General Hospital & Medical Center for the purpose of examining objective means of diagnosing methylmercury poisoning.
<Location>
Minamata City General Hospital & Medical Center, 1-2-1 Tenjincho, Minamata City, 867-0041
Minamata Disease Archives
Affiliated with the National Institute for Minamata Disease, the Minamata Disease Archives is an exhibition facility aimed at advancing a further understanding of Minamata disease and of mercury, passing on lessons learned from Minamata disease and contributing to the development of research on Minamata disease and mercury.
<Location>
55-10 Myojincho, Minamata City, 867-0055
