This was the Chose coal mine. From a pier on the coast, it stretched thousands of feet

under the ocean, and like many of these mines, the conditions inside were horrific. The tunnels

were dark, water seeped in, and the men could literally hear boats in the ocean above them.

But even beyond just the conditions, maybe the most disturbing part was that many of the men

who went in day after day were not there voluntarily.

This is the story of the Chosei coal slaves and as always, viewer discretion is advised. The city of Ube, Japan is located close to the southwestern tip of the main island

Honshu.

It sits on the coast of Ube Bay, which is part of the larger Seto Inland Sea that is semi-inclusive

by the islands there.

And life there is typical of Japan's coastal cities and towns.

Fishermen cast their nets and families stroll along the beach, but if you look closer,

you'll notice something strange sticking out of the water.

There are two tall cylindrical pillars that are weathered and gray jutting several feet

above the waves.

To the casual observer, they might look like abandoned concrete stumps or pieces of some

forgotten pier. In reality, though, there are far concrete stumps or pieces of some forgotten pier.

In reality, though, there are far more haunting and lasting reminder of a tragedy that the

Japanese government successfully downplayed for decades.

They're known as pias, which are ventilation shafts from an undersea coal mine that

went sprawled beneath the Seto Inland Sea.

Beneath those aged tubes and still waters that surround them lies the Chose coal mine,

which is a relic of Japan's industrial past.

...