Ikeshima coal mine, one of Japan's two remaining coal mines, was officially shut down here Thursday after 42 years of operations.
The move leaves Taiheiyo coal mine in Kushiro, Hokkaido, as the nation's last colliery. Taiheiyo will be closed in 2002.
Matsushima Coal Mining Co., the operator of Ikeshima mine, decided to pull the plug because the mine could no longer compete with cheaper imports.
The government's decision to end subsidies for domestically produced coal after the current fiscal year compounded the Fukuoka-based company's problems.