A group of unrecognized victims of Minamata disease reached an out-of-court settlement Friday with Chisso…the chemical maker responsible for causing the mercury-poisoning disease, over a damages suit at the Kumamoto District Court. The settlement involves the largest number of plaintiffs — 2,492 — among a series of lawsuits against Chisso and marks a major turning point in redressing the victims of the mercury-poisoning disease since it was officially recognized in 1956…Under the settlement, Chisso will pay a ¥2.1 million lump sum to some 90 percent of the plaintiffs as well as an additional ¥2.95 billion to the group. The central government and Kumamoto Prefectural Government will shoulder part of the victims' medical costs.