Vietnamese former conjoined twin plans visits to Japan's Minamata disease sites

Nguyen Duc, born in Vietnam as a conjoined twin and separated in 1988 with Japanese medical assistance, plans a two-stage visit to Japan. In October he will travel to Izumi in Kagoshima Prefecture to speak with 81-year-old resident Etsuzo Murayama, who wants to stress the global urgency of mercury pollution that caused Minamata disease. In December he will head to Minamata city in Kumamoto Prefecture to meet 70-year-old Shinobu Sakamoto, a long-time advocate who previously met Duc in Vietnam.

Both men and the local victim groups aim to use their shared histories of chemical-induced health problems to raise awareness of environmental contamination worldwide. Duc, who suffers from kidney disease and has undergone multiple surgeries, has previously spoken about the lingering effects of Agent Orange. The visits underscore a cross-national effort to link disparate pollution tragedies.