International Social Science Journal (Chinese Edition)

No.2, 2025

 

 

Kasahara Ryota

 

This paper focuses on the decline of Japan’s coal mining industry in the postwar period, taking large-scale coal mines in Hokkaido as a case study. By examining both corporate and family dynamics, it analyzes how the children of coal miners became the next generation of mining laborers, inheriting the work and lifestyle of their predecessors. The study primarily draws on company archives and interview data. From the late 1950s onward, as Japan’s domestic coal industry gradually declined, major mining companies—staking their survival—established mining schools to train employees’ children as the next generation of laborers. Depending on family circumstances, children chose either to advance to high school or enroll in mining schools. Those who prioritized family needs and attended mining schools faced various struggles and uncertainties. However, by applying the skills acquired there, they grew into core technical workers and continued laboring until the industry’s final days. Research on the career choices of local children reflects the characteristics of both the industry and the region. It holds significant importance in clarifying the dynamics of intergenerational inheritance within families amid industrial decline.