Industry decline, out-migration, and community change: A case study of a Japanese coal-mining city

The process of industry restructuring in Japan's traditional industries intensified after the first oil shock of 1973. By the time of the second oil shock six years later, structural decline in these basic sectors was seen as permanent. In response to the crucial need for reorganization and assistance, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) initiated a series of policies aimed at providing consultation, guidance, and subsidization to companies designated as depressed, to small- and medium-sized businesses and local projects in the affected communities, and to employees laid off as a result of the restructuring.;Proponents of plant closure legislation in the United States have repeatedly used Japan as an example of how the government, through creating such policies, can assist a depressed industry and all who are affected. Research studies on various Japanese industries have focused on the relationships between the government and business and the role of legislation in the process. Investigation of the impact of a declining industry in Japan on the community, its workers and residents, however, has received little to no attention. What are the consequences of a declining industry for member companies, for the surrounding community, for the area's residents, and for the company's workers? Does government policy derived from the process of industry decline and restructuring truly benefit those for whom it was intended?;These questions formed the basis of a study carried out in a Japanese city undergoing the final shutdown of its major industry. The site chosen for this research was Yubari, a coal mining city in Hokkaido, Japan. Over the last twenty-five years, Yubari City has experienced the loss of 22 mines and a 71 percent decline in population. In the winter of 1986, MITI announced the new Eighth Coal Policy which would result in the closure of most of Japan's coal mines, including the two remaining mines in Yubari. The changes occurring in Yubari's coal mine companies and in the community as a result of the coal industry's decline were investigated through the use of participant observation, statistical analysis of city and census data, and interviews with 212 households. This study presents the results of the exploration and advises those favoring plant closure legislation to first ensure the participation of the workers and residents who would be most directly affected.