Miike coal mine (三池炭鉱 Miike Tankō), also known as the Mitsui Miike Coal Mine (三井三池炭鉱 Mitsui Miike Tankō), was a coal mine located in the area of Ōmuta, Fukuoka and Arao, Kumamoto, Japan. Mining began in the Edo Period and the mine was nationalised in 1872.[1] The Mitsui zaibatsu took control in 1899.
From 1960 to 1962 the mine was involved in a much-reported labor dispute which divided the workers and involved violent strike-breaking actions. In 1963 an explosion resulted in the deaths of 458 people, 438 of whom died from carbon monoxide poisoning.[1][2]
The mine closed in 1997.[3]