Japan Press Weekly

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2013 November 6 - 12 [WELFARE]

Victims of deadliest mine accident 50 years ago hold rally to demand state compensation

On November 9, marking the 50th anniversary of the Mitsui Miike coal mine explosion, the worst explosive accident in Japan’s postwar history, a group of victims, their families, and bereaved families held a rally in Arao City in Kumamoto Prefecture, demanding medical support from the state and an official apology from the mine owner.

The accident occurred on November 9, 1963 at the Miike mining complex owned by the Mitsui Coal Mining Company (currently Nippon Coke and Engineering Co., Ltd.), killing 458 workers and injuring 839 by carbon monoxide poisoning. The incident was attributed to reduction of safety personnel by the company under the government promoted policy of shifting energy consumption from coal to oil.

Among the accident survivors who suffered CO poisoning, 17 survivors are confined to hospital beds due to severe damage and 50 are getting outpatient treatment, according to the group.

The group’s representative, Fujita Kojiro, 82, in the rally said, “Let’s increase our efforts to keep the accident in people’s minds and realize our demand for public medical support.”

On the same day in Omuta City in Fukuoka Prefecture where the Miike coal mine was located, the city government and Nippon Coke together organized a commemoration ceremony with 450 people, including bereaved families, attending for the first time since the accident occurred five decades ago.

Persons on behalf of the company sat in the ceremony without giving speeches. The company’s public relations officer explained that their presence was to mourn the victims, not to apologize to them.