Every student in Japan sooner or later learns about the Ashio Copper Mine in history class. It was the site of Japan’s first major environmental disaster, which filled the surrounding area with poisonous gases and polluted water during the late 19th-century. Due to the lack of scientific analysis, the exact extent of damage is still unknown, but over 1,000 people died of cadmium poisoning in the following years. Originally discovered in 1550, Mount Ashio became a government-run quarry after ore deposits were discovered by a pair of farmers in 1610….
