Unsatisfied, Murakami and followers travelled to Tokyo and met with officials of numerous government departments to outline their plight. He managed to secure a promise from members of the Diet that they would visit Minamata to investigate the situation. When the Diet party arrived in Minamata on 2 November they were met by a crowd of 4,000 demonstrators (including fishermen and disease victims groups alike) outside the Municipal Hospital. The crowd was extremely respectful to the Diet members and pleaded with them for help. The members thanked the demonstrators for bringing the issue to the attention of the national government and promised they would do all they could.