ABSTRACT
Discrimination is a factor to be considered when trying to describe the history of regional identity, not only because many miners belonged to discriminated minorities, but also because of the frequent discrimination of all people living in mining communities. Among the coal mining regions, omuta and its neighboring city, Arao, have probably the largest number of coal-related industrial heritage sites. The idea of preserving industrial heritage sites began to spread in Japan in the late 1970s, parallel to the foundation of the Japan Industrial Archaeology Society in 1977. The coal and steel area of Northern Kyushu is one of the oldest industrial regions in Japan and a core area of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Japan titled "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution". The ensuing de-industrialization led to various efforts to restructure existing industries and create new regional policies.
