The curtain will soon fall on a coal mine on an outlying island off Kyushu, once again reminding older people that twilight is falling on the days when coal was cherished as "black diamonds" and played a pivotal role in sustaining Japanese industries.

Coal miners at Ikeshima go to work after the announcement that the mine would close next month.

The operator of Ikeshima Mine, one of the two remaining coal mines in Japan, agreed with the company's union earlier this month to effectively shut down the Nagasaki Prefecture mine at the end of November.

Its termination will leave Taiheiyo Coal Mine in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, the nation's sole remaining coal mine.