Japan's last coal mine shuts

Japan’s last coal mine shut down today, putting 1,000 miners out of work and marking the end of an industry that literally helped fuel the country’s miraculous post-Second World War recovery.

After 82 years of operations, the Taiheiyo Coal Mine Company closed its facility near the city of Kushiro on the northern island of Hokkaido because of high production costs and cheap imports.

Shouting ‘‘No disasters, let’s go,’’ 400 miners, wearing helmets with headlights and tan or blue-green overalls, assembled for the final descent to the coalbeds more than 600 yards below the ocean floor.

‘‘When I left the house this morning, the only thing my wife said was ‘One more day. Be careful and don’t get hurt’,’’ said 36-year-old Choji Sukigi, who has worked at the mine since he graduated from high school.

‘‘The question is what will I do after this,’’ he said.

Because of Japan’s long-term economic doldrums, many of the miners will be hard-pressed to find new work. The government announced earlier this week that unemployment is at a record high of 5.6%.