Michiko Ishimure (1927–2018) was a Japanese writer. Drawing on years of engagement with Minamata disease patients and local communities, she chronicled the profound human and environmental consequences of industrial pollution. She received the Ōya Sōichi Nonfiction Award for "Kugai Jōdo: Waga Minamata-byō" ("Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow: Our Minamata Disease"). Her best-known work, "Kugai Jōdo: Waga Minamata-byō," gives voice to the experiences of Minamata disease victims, exploring environmental destruction, human dignity, and the relationship between people and nature.