Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath

The world became aware of an issue that swept thousands due to a chemical leak of mercury in Kyushu, Japan, thanks to photographer Eugene Smith. His plan was to enjoy the country of Japan on a vacation, however, he ended up developing photos in the area and living there for three years. He showed the world that it doesn’t take much to be able to advocate for a cause. I think Smith’s efforts, after reading this article, were proposed as stronger than Japan’s government. His awareness and publicity of the man who got assaulted by the company with the chemical leak made it to the news, and subsequently made it into the knowledge of government. Furthermore, the government took action to make the company pay and took matters of the disease a little bit more seriously. Not only did Smith make a social statement of awareness towards issues that hit a blindside of the government, but he also lead the legacy of Tomoko in order to make the world understand the struggles Tomoko faced throughout her life battling the Minimata disease.