August 26, 2025

A civic group working to memorialize the wartime inundation at an undersea coal mine in Yamaguchi’s Ube City on August 25 announced that a diving survey which took place on the day at the former coal mine found human remains presumed to belong to four victims and that some of the remains were taken out.

The disaster occurred in 1942 at Chosei Coal Mine, killing 183 workers which includes 136 Koreans. Of the 136, most were taken to Japan from the Korean Peninsula as forced laborers.

Following the civil group’s announcement, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira released a comment.

Expressing his respect for the civil group’s dedication to continue with efforts to recover the victims’ remains, Koike said that since the remains were found at the accident site, the government should conduct the exhumation of the remains without delay.

Koike cited that in response to his Diet questioning calling for the exhumation of the bodies of workers who died in the 1942 disaster, Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru rejected Koike’s request on the grounds that details, such as the location and depth of the remains buried, are unknown. Koike said, “As the remains have been discovered, the government should stop making excuses and swiftly commence a full-scale operation to exhume the victims’ remains,” adding that the government should also work hard to return the remains to the bereaved families without delay.

Past related article:
> JCP Koike demands exhumation of remains of 1942 undersea coal-mine accident victims [December 5, 2024]