Because methylmercury in their mother's body was passed on to them.
Minamata disease is caused by methylmercury taken into the body. In some cases, pregnant mothers ate fish contaminated with methylmercury, which crossed the placenta to penetrate into their baby, causing the baby to develop Minamata disease.
This is called fetal Minamata disease.
Minamata disease, which occurs when methylmercury passes through the placenta and enters the baby during the mother's pregnancy, is not considered hereditary. It has nothing to do with inheritance, whereby characteristics of the father or mother are passed down through genes.
Some children developed Minamata disease as a result of eating a lot of methylmercury-contaminated fish, in which case it is called infantile Minamata disease.