Multi-track Development of Mining Technologies and Diversification of Workplaces in the Japanese Coal Mining Industry
01-13-2026
International Social Science Journal (Chinese Edition)
No.2, 2025
Multi-track Development of Mining Technologies and Diversification of Workplaces in the Japanese Coal Mining Industry
(Abstract)
Shimizu Taku
Coal mining technologies are essentially dependent on deposit condition of coal seam. They are broadly classified into two systems by the dip of coal seam. Generally, manufacturing technologies converge on dominant one. In the case of Japanese coal industry, however, technologies have got multi-track development because of the uncertainty of natural conditions. Therefore, there were two completely different types of workplaces: fully mechanized one and manual labor-intensive one. There were some features of labor practices depending on each natural condition and mining technology by comparison between Taiheiyo Colliery as the former case and Mitsui Ashibetsu Colliery as the latter case. In the case of Taiheiyo Colliery, the static labor practice, in which miners worked every day under the same condition in equalized operation process, was institutionalized. On the other hand, the fluid labor practice, which allowed skilled miners to make a judgment about the operation to deal with variable natural conditions and changing operation processes, became widespread in the case of Mitsui Ashibetsu Colliery.