Undermining the Japanese Miracle

This book is about the underside of Japan's economic miracle. It is an account of people who have been forgotten in Japan's push to industrialize in the postwar era: the coalminers of Chikuho on Japan's southernmost island. The dirty and neglected character of Chikuho is in stark contrast with Japan's prevailing image as an international leader in technology and an affluent, socially cohesive country. The book challenges the concepts of industrial harmony, cultural homogeneity and caring government that dominate much of the literature on Japan.