This month, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry is expected to designate Yubari, Hokkaido, as a "municipality under rehabilitation." Following are questions and answers outlining what that means for the city:

Why did Yubari's financial condition deteriorate?

Yubari, a city of 13,000 residents in central Hokkaido, prospered from its coal mines until the 1980s, when oil replaced coal as the predominant energy source.