Survey to begin at western Japan site of 1942 undersea mine accident
Ube, Yamaguchi Pref. (Jiji Press) — A local civic group will launch another survey later this week to locate the remains of 183 people left at an underwater coal mine that was flooded in an accident more than 80 years ago in the western Japan city of Ube.
Below two shafts sticking out of the Seto Inland Sea, the remains of 136 people from the Korean Peninsula and 47 Japanese nationals still lie in the flooded Chosei coal mine in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
On Feb. 3, 1942, which was during World War II, the flooding accident occurred in a tunnel located one kilometer away from the coal mine’s entrance. The entrance was sealed after the accident, with the remains of the workers still inside.
Established in 1991, the civic group did not start out with the aim of recovering the remains, but it shifted its objective to their recovery and return after building a memorial monument and talking to bereaved family members of the Korean workers.
To achieve the goal, the group has been in negotiations with the governments of Japan and South Korea since 2018.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Japanese government, however, has been reluctant about recovering the remains, as the victims are not classified as “war dead” as defined by a law on promoting efforts to recover the remains of those who died during the war and because it is unknown exactly where the remains lie within the coal mine.
Article continues after this advertisementHoping to locate the remains and pave the way for a Japanese government-led search, the civic group in January last year decided to reopen the mine’s entrance to conduct an underwater probe. The group raised the necessary funds mainly through an online donation program.
Last September, the mine’s entrance was opened for the first time since the accident.
Underwater explorer Yoshitaka Isaji, 36, who offered his help to the project, entered the coal mine to conduct the probe in October. He searched areas between the entrance and some 200 meters into the coal mine, proceeding through muddy waters with very limited visibility. The tunnel was filled with pipes and structures, and it was impossible to discern what else was located there.
Still, he managed to reach a point just 150 meters away from a location highly likely to be where many workers had gathered as they attempted to escape the flooding.
Isaji said that he will take part in another round of diving probes set to be conducted from Friday to Sunday.
“I think we’ll be able to recover the remains if we continue what we are doing,” he said.
On Saturday, the group will invite bereaved families from Japan and South Korea to a public square in Ube, where the monument is located, to hold a memorial ceremony and to watch the probe.
“While this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war and the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between Japan and South Korea, there is no future for the two nations if the remains are left unrecovered,” Yoko Inoue, 74, co-head of the group, said. “Our future can only be created by recovering the remains and restoring the victims’ dignity,” she said.