Special Exhibition: Chosei Coal Mine

Chosei Coal Mine was an undersea coal mine located in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. On February 3, 1942, the mine was flooded, claiming the lives of 183 people. Of those who died, 136 had been mobilized from the Korean Peninsula and forced to work at the mine.

More than 80 years have passed since the disaster, yet the remains of over 180 victims are still left beneath the sea. Although the disaster was caused by dangerous working conditions and repeated violations of laws and regulations, its history was pushed into obscurity for decades after the war, as though it had never happened.

Resisting this erasure, local citizens have spent more than 40 years conducting research, recovering testimonies, and building solidarity with people in Japan and abroad. Today, their efforts have entered a new stage: locating and recovering the remains that still lie beneath the seabed.

With the generous cooperation of the Association to Commemorate the Chosei Coal Mine Disaster, which has led these efforts for many years, we are pleased to present this special exhibition.