A group of 306 unrecognized victims of Minamata disease settled a damages suit Monday at Osaka District Court with the state and other parties over the mercury-poisoning disease. The settlement brings to an end a series of major group lawsuits against the state and the Kumamoto prefectural governments as well as Chisso, the chemical maker responsible for causing the disease. The disease was caused by the contamination of Minamata Bay in the southwestern Japan prefecture by mercury waste dumped by the company. The settlement allows each of 282 patients…western Japan, to receive 2.1 million yen in lump-sum payments from Chisso and up to 17,700 yen in monthly medical coverage from the state and the Kumamoto prefectural government.