Follow-up Study on Transition into adulthood and Coal Industy Decline in Japan

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K23276
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0108:Sociology and related fields
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: KASAHARA Ryota 早稲田大学, 文学学術院, その他(招聘研究員) (20846357)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-08-30 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 石炭産業の漸次的撤退 / 炭山コミュニティ / 成人期への移行 / ライフコース / 社会移動 / 生活文化 / 企業・地域・家族

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I conducted two surveys. First is the collecting of essays about the disasters and closures written by junior high school students in Japan. By analyzing essays, I can learn about the impact of the closures on the children’s feelings, their career aspirations and perception of society.
Second is the follow-up survey on junior high school students who experienced mine closure. I am conducting a case study of Shakubetsu Coal Mine in Kushiro coal field and Oyubari Coal Mine in Yubari coal field. I found that the closure and destruction of their community had a long-term impact on their life courses. Children who moved to urban areas faced difficulties about restarting school life but they gradually attempted to adjust to new situations using social resources. On the other hand, children who moved to another coal mine or rural area in Hokkaido found it difficult to adjust and had a sense of being left behind by the times.

Free Research Field

社会学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

まず、社会学、とりわけライフコース研究における意義として、産業・地域・教育・家族と子どもの発達・人生移行との関連を明らかにした点があげられる。また、調査法における意義として、当事者（元住民・同郷会会員）と共同で生活の記憶を掘り起こし、記録する方法を確立した点があげられる。
つぎに、社会的意義は、高度経済成長期の産業衰退によって消滅した地域（「故郷」）の生活記録・人びとの記憶を、写真や手記、回顧など多様な資料をもとに記録・記述し、後世に伝えるアーカイブズを構築している点である。