The new redress steps for uncertified Minamata disease patients are not likely to lead to a complete settlement of decades-old disputes involving the mercury poisoning disease, panelists at a recent Tokyo symposium indicated. More than 40,000 people with the disease have applied for the assistance in the last 13 months under a special law stipulating that determining who should receive the benefits take no longer than three years...[A] doctor involved in the Minamata issue...suggests that the three-year provision could result in those people being abandoned, particularly congenital patients, who were hit by mercury in the womb and who so far have not exhibited symptoms...Minamata disease was caused by Chisso Corp. discharging contaminated wastewater into the sea from its chemical plant in Minamata. [also refers to Showa Denko K.K.]