This agreement was signed for the purpose of further facilitating collaboration and cooperation with the City of Minamata, combining mutual forces to work on the long-term vitalization and growth of the City's urban development, healthcare and welfare, education and much more, and contributing to the City's future-oriented urban policy implementation, so as to create a vibrant local community.

This Agreement was signed for the purpose of driving the goal of facilitating the growth of world-class human resources of the next generation to hold the moyai (bowline) by better harnessing human and physical resources of the City of Minamata, Minamata High School and the National Institute for Minamata Disease, learning a new "wisdom" gained out of the knowledge, intelligence and lessons that the Minamata region has and collaboration in the region and moving into action for sustainable growth, with the national (National Institute for Minamata Disease), prefectural (Kumamoto Prefectural Minamata High School) and municipal (City of Minamata) administrations working in close collaboration.

In order for the National Institute for Minamata Disease to fully exert its function as the key organization in the mercury research network in Japan and abroad, it is crucial to enhance collaboration with external organizations and act as an open research institution. To that end, we have made collaborative graduate school agreements with Kagoshima University, Kumamoto University, Prefectural University of Kumamoto, Kurume University and Keio University.